SpaceX Achieves Dramatic Booster Catch with Starship's Fifth Test Flight

SpaceX's Starship completed its fifth test flight on Oct. 13, 2024, achieving a dramatic first catch of the 20-story Super Heavy booster. The rocket launched from Texas at 8:25 a.m. ET, with the booster landing on the launch tower seven minutes later. This milestone brings SpaceX closer to its goal of a fully reusable rocket system.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson praised the achievement, emphasizing its importance for future missions, including NASA's Artemis moon program. Starship separated and traveled halfway around Earth before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

The full Starship system has now flown five tests, each surpassing previous milestones. SpaceX aims to make Starship fully reusable, critical for both cargo and human spaceflight. The company faced regulatory delays but secured a launch license shortly before the test.

The booster catch required meticulous preparation, with thousands of criteria to ensure safety. If conditions weren't right, the booster would have splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead.

Starship is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched, standing 397 feet tall when fully stacked. The Super Heavy booster, with 33 Raptor engines, produces 16.7 million pounds of thrust. Starship itself has six Raptor engines, three for Earth's atmosphere and three for space.

This test marks significant progress in SpaceX's quest to revolutionize space travel.