[Applause] 10 9 8 tus 5 4 3 2 [Applause] 1 we're now down to three Raptor engines we can see those Chopsticks now in here [Applause] shut October 13th 2024 will be remembered as a day SpaceX achieved what many thought was impossible the fifth test flight of Starship not only launched successfully but also featured a groundbreaking moment the super heavy booster was caught midair by the mechazilla system a massive structure with its Chopstick arms this achiev M represents a critical step toward spacex's vision of full rocket reusability a concept that could significantly lower the costs
of space travel despite SpaceX openly sharing the details of its ambitious plans many doubted the feasibility of catching a booster midair the idea seemed too futuristic almost like something straight out of a science fiction movie Skeptics have often viewed musk's ambitious goals as marketing tactics meant to grab attention this was especially true when musk first revealed his intentions to reuse the Falcon 9 booster after launch and land it back on Earth something many experts at the time considered impossible but as history has shown musk proved them wrong once again musk and SpaceX have silenced their
critics the successful launch separation and booster catch of Starship shows that SpaceX is making significant progress toward its reusability goals proving that what once seemed unattainable is now a reality the mission began with a Flawless liftoff from spacex's Star base in Bach chica Texas at 7:25 a.m. local time the Super heavy booster B12 fitted with 33 Raptor engines delivered the Starship to an altitude where stage separation occurred about 2 minutes and 40 seconds into the flight while Starship continued its journey into space the booster began its descent back to Earth reigniting its engines as it
approached the land in site what happened next was something previously only seen in science fiction as the booster neared the Launchpad at over 3,20 km per hour it was carefully guided between the outstretched arms of mechazilla which caught the massive rocket in midair this moment which lasted less than 10 seconds represented years of Planning Development and refinement of spacex's Technology the ability to catch the booster directly at the launch site instead of relying on Ocean Landings or drone ship significantly reduces turnaround time pushing SpaceX closer to its vision of rapidly reusable Rockets this achievement Builds
on previous test flights that encountered significant challenges earlier boosters either exploded or were lost after landing the success of b12's capture reflects significant upgrades including improvements to the rapor engines and structural enhancements based on lessons learned from previous flights the entire Starship transportation system consisting of both the super heavy and Starship stages is designed to be fully reusable which will drastically lower the cost of space missions and make frequent launches feasible during the flight the upper stage experienced minor complications during its re-entry and subsequent splash down in the Indian Ocean but some issues arose during
re-entry as the Starship upper stage descended back through Earth's atmosphere the heat generated during re-entry pushed the thermal protection system to its limits at t+ 57 minutes signs of stress appeared on the rear flaps with plasma visibly escaping through fissures in the heat shield and around the hinges these burn throughs did not stop the vehicle from performing its Maneuvers but they posed a significant concern for long-term reusability once the upper stage approached 15 km above the Indian Ocean it performed its characteristic belly flop maneuver using its flaps to slow down and control its descent despite
some initial issues with the flaps during re-entry the stage successfully splashed down in the water at t+ 63 minutes however shortly after splash down the vehicle tipped over and exploded while SpaceX anticipated some destruction after the splash down the Tipping and subsequent explosion likely resulted from the burn through damage experienced during re-entry there was also a small fire obs oberved on the upper stage as it touched down in the water likely caused by the residual heat from re-entry in the compromised sections of the heat shield this fire is not unexpected in such high stress environments
but highlights areas that need further refinement especially as SpaceX aims for full reusability musk has been extremely excited about this Milestone frequently sharing footage from the launch and celebrating the catch on social media musk tweeted the tower has caught the the rocket and later emphasized the broader significance of the achievement by stating that a big step toward making life multiplanetary had been made in his follow-up tweets musk explained that the Starship booster was returned to its launch mount with only minor damage such as warped engine nozzles from heating which he noted could be easily fixed
he also revealed that Starship is designed to be reused within an hour after launch with the booster returning in just 5 minutes the remaining time would be spent reloading propellant and preparing for the next flight musk also shared a side-by-side comparison showing the journey from the first Starship prototype hopper in 2019 to the latest booster Landing in 2024 highlighting the immense progress SpaceX has made in just 5 years this not only showcases the technical advancements but also the realization of musk's vision one that many critics had initially doubted industry leaders and space X Engineers celebrated
the historic feat SpaceX engineer Dan huitt called it magic expressing his astonishment at witnessing the booster being caught so precisely another SpaceX engineer Kate Ty tweeted her amazement saying still in awe on the first try are you kidding me the excitement surrounding this Milestone is palpable and it brings SpaceX closer to its ultimate mission of making Mars colonization a reality the FAA will now conduct standard post-flight review to assess the severity of the damage and determine if it requires further investigation based on Past reviews this process could take 30 to 90 days depending on the
complexity of the findings and the time needed for analysis looking ahead SpaceX plans to address the thermal protection issues before the next flight which will likely involve more tests on heat shield durability and flap Integrity the company's future tests will focus on Rel lighting the Raptor engines in space a significant step toward achieving orbital flights these refinements will be crucial as SpaceX moves closer to its goal of creating reusable long duration space flight systems that can support missions to the moon and Mars for those who didn't see the Starship launch in person I've got a
surprise you can still experience it with a realistic Starship model made just for our loyal viewers since you've watched this far we know you're one of them head to the link in the description to grab yours now and relive space history thanks for watching and we hope to see you in the next video
