SpaceX has made history with its reusable spacecraft. Elon Musk’s company successfully launched the world’s largest ‘Starship’ mega rocket, which returned to space shortly after its booster landed back at the launchpad. This marks the first time a rocket booster has been brought back to the launch pad.
The experiment took place on the Texas coast and the Starship rocket, which is 121 meters long, consists of two sections: the Booster (71 meters long) and the Spacecraft. During the experiment, the rocket was launched into space and the spacecraft separated from the booster as planned.
The spacecraft successfully landed in the Indian Ocean, while the booster was brought back to the launchpad. Special crane-like structures called ‘chop sticks’ were installed to hold the booster, and they successfully intercepted it. This achievement is significant as SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket boosters are reusable but are usually dumped at sea and used later. In contrast, the Starship rocket is designed to enable trips to the Moon and Mars.