Reusing rockets is one of SpaceX’s spearheads. Doing so with Starship means catching it mid-air.
Preparations for Starship’s fifth flight are progressing. SpaceX’s original plans called for an early summer launch, but more realistic estimates now place this launch in late August or early September.
Static fire. The latest breakthrough came last week with a static fire test. This test consists of igniting the engines while the rocket remains anchored to the launch structure. The test is an appetizer for what is to come: Starship’s fifth launch.
The star: Mechazilla. SpaceX will have the opportunity to advance the development of many spacecraft components. However, the star of this fifth test is an element that will remain on the ground. I'm talking about Mechazilla, the robotic arm that will capture the rocket’s first stage in flight as it returns to Earth.
This robotic arm is in the same Starbase launch tower from where the rocket takes off. The structure moves to the side during launch, only to act when the booster returns. Then Mechazilla grabs the rocket “like chopsticks.”
Reusable. Reusing launch vehicles has been one of SpaceX’s spearheads since its early days. For example, part of the development of the Falcon 9 also focused on the mechanisms that would allow the first stages of these vehicles to return to Earth essentially ready for reuse. This achievement included the vehicle’s folding elements and the sea platforms it would land on.
Checking the shield. However, there are other vital points in the fifth test. The main spacecraft, Starship, will have to overcome unfinished business from its fourth flight: re-entry. The ship’s return to Earth during the fourth flight was only partially successful.
The ship’s heat shield held up long enough for Starship to hit the water (practically) in one piece, and the first stage, Super Heavy, also maneuvered as planned until it splashed down in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Sonic boom. SpaceX has focused on sonic booms to reuse these launch vehicles.
As the company explains, Super Heavy will cause sonic booms as it transitions from supersonic to subsonic speeds on its return flight. These booms will be audible in the Starbase environment and be similar to the sound we associate with thunder.
According to SpaceX, preliminary data indicates that the Super Heavy blast will be louder than that generated by Falcon rockets but not enough to cause significant problems. In addition, the base would concentrate on the most critical impacts, which the company engineers designed for this type of risk.
This article was written by Pablo Martínez-Juarez and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.
Image | SpaceX
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