SpaceX recovered on Saturday, for the first time, the Starship spacecraft returning from orbit, catching it with the mechanical arms of the launch tower in Texas. The achievement marks an important step towards a fully reusable space system.
However, the mission ended with partial success: the Super Heavy booster, which was also supposed to be recovered, was lost, reports Reuters.
Launched on Friday, November 13, from the Starbase facility, the spacecraft spent over 22 hours in space, orbited the Earth 14 times, and deployed 26 Starlink satellites into orbit. It was the 15th test flight of the Starship system, according to Associated Press.
Upon return, the spacecraft passed through the atmosphere, descended in a vertical position, and was caught by the giant arms of the tower nicknamed "Mechazilla".
SpaceX had previously recovered Super Heavy boosters, but had never caught the Starship spacecraft returning from space this way. It returns from a higher altitude and at a higher speed, which makes the maneuver more difficult, explains Space.com.
The mission's objective was to recover both components: the booster, a few minutes after launch, and the spacecraft, after completing the orbital flight.
In the case of the booster, initial indications show that a fuel level alarm caused the engines to shut down too early during the return maneuver. The automated system determined that it was not in the necessary position for recovery and diverted it towards the Gulf of Mexico. The initial cause of the problem is still under investigation.
Super Heavy exploded after the activation of the self-destruct system, so SpaceX did not succeed in recovering both stages on the same flight.
Reusing the entire system is essential for the company's plans to reduce the costs of space missions. Starship is also being developed for transporting NASA astronauts to the Moon's surface, as part of the Artemis program.