SpaceX Teases Catching Super Heavy Booster with ‘Chopsticks’ on Upcoming Starship Test Flight

SpaceX is gearing up for a significant milestone in its next Starship flight test, as hinted in a recent video showcasing highlights from the rocket’s fourth flight test. The video, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on July 4, features a montage of key moments from the June 6 test, including ignition, lift-off, booster separation, and the reentries of both the Starship upper stage and its Super Heavy booster.

Historical Context

SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, has been at the forefront of revolutionizing space travel. The company’s Starship program aims to create a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying humans to Mars and beyond. This ambitious goal aligns with historical milestones in space exploration, such as NASA’s Apollo missions, which first landed humans on the moon in 1969, and the Space Shuttle program, which introduced reusable spacecraft in the 1980s.

Upcoming Milestone

The video concludes with an animation showing a 400-foot-tall (122-meter-tall) Super Heavy booster returning to land at Starship’s launch tower, known as “Mechazilla.” The animation, accompanied by the words “Next up” and “Flight 5,” suggests that SpaceX plans to attempt catching the booster using the tower’s “chopstick” arms. This innovative approach aims to make the rocket’s refurbishment and relaunch more efficient, reducing turnaround times.

Elon Musk’s Vision

Elon Musk has also hinted at this upcoming milestone on social media. “Aiming to try this in late July!” Musk wrote on X, following the fourth flight test. SpaceX had previously released a 60-second animation demonstrating the “chopstick” arms catching a Super Heavy booster at Starbase, the company’s launch site in South Texas.

Preparations and Tests

On June 27, SpaceX posted a short video showing Mechazilla’s chopstick arms grasping a stationary Super Heavy booster on its launch mount. The video description read, “Starbase team testing the tower chopsticks for the upcoming catch of a Super Heavy booster.”

Starship’s Flight History

To date, Starship has launched four times: in April and November 2023, and on March 18 and June 6, 2024. Each test has been progressively more successful, achieving new milestones with each flight. The first flight saw the two stages fail to separate, resulting in the vehicle’s detonation within five minutes. However, the most recent mission saw both Starship and Super Heavy reenter Earth’s atmosphere intact, making ocean splashdowns.

Future Aspirations

SpaceX’s Starship is designed with ambitious off-world destinations in mind. The company aims for Starship to reach Mars and potentially facilitate human settlement there. Additionally, NASA plans to use the rocket to land crews on the moon as part of the Artemis program, which seeks to return humans to the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence.

Summary

• Video Teaser: SpaceX hints at catching the Super Heavy booster with “chopstick” arms in the next Starship test flight.
• Historical Context: SpaceX’s goals align with historical milestones like NASA’s Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.
• Elon Musk’s Vision: Musk aims to attempt this milestone in late July.
• Preparations: SpaceX has been testing the “chopstick” arms at its Starbase facility.
• Flight History: Starship has launched four times, with increasing success.
• Future Goals: SpaceX aims to use Starship for missions to Mars and the moon, in collaboration with NASA’s Artemis program.