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As SpaceX prepares for Starship’s fifth test flight, it is testing the launch tower at its facilities in Boca Chica for the crucial tower catch planned for the next test. The previous starship test was successful as both the booster and the ship successfully splashed into the water and Elon Musk confirmed immediately after the test that the next test will raise the stakes even further. SpaceX’s spacecraft recovery profile calls for capturing the booster’s first stage with a support tower, and right now the company is testing the tower’s arms by clamping them around a test link.
SpaceX is testing the launch of the turret wands in Texas ahead of the starship’s fifth test flight
Key to SpaceX’s goal of making the Starship quickly reusable is capturing the turret booster instead of landing it on a remote drone ship. This is because if the rocket is “caught” on the pad, the time needed to refuel and make other minor repairs will decrease, allowing SpaceX to launch the Starship in rapid succession. The fast cadence is essential for the rocket’s key missions, as flights to the Moon and Mars will require fuel tankers to be launched first before a crewed flight or cargo flight to refuel in space.
Since no other rocket company or government organization has yet landed a rocket on a pad, SpaceX must first test the technologies before they can implement them on key operational missions. On this front, June saw the firm extend the front of the booster onto the pad to test the tower’s “wands”. These are giant arms that also raise the starship’s second stage on a booster for test flights and operations, and footage from local media channel NASASpaceflight shows SpaceX appearing to be fine-tuning its wand operation ahead of the starship’s fifth test flight.
During today’s testing, the launch pad wands closed and opened several times with the Super Heavy booster placed between them. Judging by the visuals, SpaceX appears to be simulating a test environment where the rocket booster returns to the launch tower for a catch. However, as she had only just started testing the turret for the catch, the wands ended up hitting the booster segment several times as they slowly closed around it.
A successful capture of the tower during the starship’s fifth flight would be a remarkable achievement for SpaceX, as it would mark success the first time. Similarly, a worst-case scenario could see the turret destroyed or damaged if the wands either fail to intercept the missile or damage it and rupture its tanks. Since the catch will be reserved for the end of the flight, the rocket should only have spare fuel to burn on landing, and Musk’s statement also shared that the landing profile will include testing the Super Heavy systems far from the tower before approaching. for the catch.
Even if the capture attempt on Flight 5 fails, SpaceX will provide enough data to attempt another test. The primary objective of the Starship tests is to collect data, and the experience gained from flights one through three allowed SpaceX to successfully land them in water during Flight 4.
HA! And now we know why they use a test tank for these tests. #SLAPhttps://t.co/fkcXWYv7Vv pic.twitter.com/EPalY02JGm
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) June 26, 2024