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SpaceX’s Dramatic Rocket Catch Brings Interplanetary Travel One Step Closer
By proving that its Super Heavy booster can return to Earth and land, SpaceX has moved closer to creating a reusable interplanetary transport system.
The most recent test before yesterday’s was in June, when both the rocket and the spacecraft managed, despite some serious issues, to survive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere and practise ocean landings, with Super Heavy simulating its future return to the launch tower by maneuvering in a controlled descent to a specific spot over the Gulf of Mexico. With its 33 engines, which are more powerful than those used on the Falcon, the Super Heavy booster offers about 10 times as much thrust at takeoff, and is a much larger piece of machinery, making the landing feat more difficult. Rapid reuse will be essential if SpaceX wants to reach its goal of dramatically reducing the time and cost of getting cargo and people into orbit and to deep space.
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