SpaceX launched its fifth Starship vehicle on October 13, successfully executing a remarkable “catch” of its Super Heavy booster at the launch site. The launch occurred at 8:25 a.m. Eastern from the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and was designated as Flight 5.
A major upgrade for this mission was SpaceX’s goal to recover the Super Heavy booster, enabling it to return to the launch site and be captured by mechanical arms, often referred to as “chopsticks,” attached to the launch tower. This process required the booster to conduct precise boosts and landing maneuvers to accurately guide itself back to the launch pad.
Booster 12 achieved that objective, descending safely over the pad while the arms clamped around its top just below the grid fins around seven minutes after launch. This successful recovery is crucial for SpaceX’s future plans for rapid reflight, as the company envisions the booster being quickly ready for its next launch along with an attached Starship.
Company leaders, including Gwynne Shotwell, the president and chief operating officer, expressed their excitement online, sharing video footage of the successful landing.
Prior to the launch, Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability, had expressed optimism about the catch attempt. He mentioned the precision of a previous flight, which had landed in the ocean with remarkable accuracy.
The Starship vehicle, designated Ship 30, followed a suborbital flight path similar to a June mission and reached an altitude of 212 kilometers. It appeared to withstand reentry conditions better than before, thanks to adjustments made to its heat shield. The vehicle then made a powered landing in the Indian Ocean approximately 66 minutes post-liftoff, where it exploded shortly after impact, as it was not designed for recovery.
Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, shared his enthusiasm online after the landing, confirming that one of two main objectives had been met.
The launch took place less than a day after the Federal Aviation Administration issued an updated launch license for the mission, which had caused much controversy in recent weeks as SpaceX had anticipated a delay until late November for the revised license.
The license adjustments were necessary due to alterations in environmental assessments tied to the flight profile. This included an expanded drop area in the Gulf of Mexico for the interstage ring and an assessment of sonic booms from the returning booster. The assessment concluded that there would be no significant damage to structures or adverse effects on biological resources.
However, the report does stipulate several conditions on monitoring the environmental impact of Starship launches, including studies on gravel plume effects and annual compliance certifications for environmental regulations related to the launches.
The revised license permits SpaceX to conduct at least one more launch, known as Flight 6, under the same profile without needing further approval from the FAA, as they were determined to be within previously analyzed scopes.