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For the first time ever, SpaceX has followed through on a Starship test launch by bringing back the Super Heavy booster for an on-target catch in the arms of its"Mechazilla" launch-tower cradle in Texas.Today's successful catch marks a giant step toward using — and reusing — Starship for missions ranging from satellite deployments to NASA's moon missions to migrations to
Super Heavy is not designed to set down on landing legs, as is the case for SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. Instead, SpaceX went with a rocket-catching system at the pad, to maximize the booster's payload capability and minimize the required turnaround time. Perfecting the Mechazilla catch is thus an essential part of SpaceX's strategy for rapid rocket reusability.
"Even in this day and age, what we just saw, that looks like magic," launch commentator Dan Huot said after the booster shut down its engines and came to rest, hanging on its launch tower. Video views of the rocket's flaps, sent down to Earth via SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, showed heat building up on the control surfaces. Sparks flew off during the descent, but eventually the flaps cooled off — bringing rounds of applause from SpaceX employees who were watching the feed.
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