SpaceX's Next Starship Test Flight and the Launch Tower's Role
TapTechNews June 27th news, after the last Starship test flight where both the booster and the spaceship successfully splashed down, Elon Musk immediately confirmed that the next test flight will further increase the difficulty. SpaceX is testing the launch and capture tower assembly at its facility in Boca Chica, Texas, to prepare for the next test flight to 'capture' the booster. Different from relying on the recovery drone ship to recover the booster before, SpaceX's Starship recovery plan requires using the robotic arm of the launch tower to recover the booster.
Currently, the company is testing the functionality of the tower arm by clamping test samples. Using the launch tower to capture the booster can significantly shorten the rocket's turnaround time, as there is no need to recover the booster to the offshore platform, but only need to refuel and conduct minor repairs on the launch platform to achieve rapid consecutive launches. For the key missions of the Starship (such as Mars and Lunar flights), rapid launch is crucial because such missions require the propellant transport ship to be launched first, and then the spaceship can carry people or cargo to lift off and dock in space with the propellant transport ship to complete the fuel supply.
Since no other rocket company or government agency has captured a rocket on the ground so far, SpaceX needs to test this technology before the actual mission. In June, SpaceX transported the front of the booster to the launch pad to test the 'chopsticks' of the tower. 'Chopsticks' refers to the massive robotic arm used to hoist the secondary Starship spacecraft carrier onto the booster for ground operations and test flights. Videos from the local media organization NASA Spaceflight show that SpaceX seems to be fine-tuning the operation of the 'chopsticks' for the fifth Starship test flight.
TapTechNews noted that in the test of that day, the 'chopsticks' of the launch tower closed and opened repeatedly, with the 'Super Heavy' booster in the middle. From the video footage, it seems that SpaceX is simulating the process of the rocket booster returning to the launch tower and being captured. However, since this test has just started, when the 'chopsticks' slowly closed and tried to grab the booster, it hit the booster many times.
If the fifth Starship test flight successfully uses the launch tower to capture the booster, it will be a significant achievement for SpaceX. The worst case scenario may be that if the 'chopsticks' fail to catch the rocket or damage the rocket and cause its fuel tank to rupture, the launch tower will be destroyed or damaged. Since the capture occurs at the end of the flight, the rocket should only have a small amount of fuel remaining for landing. Elon Musk also said that the landing procedure will include the 'Super Heavy' booster testing its systems at a location far from the launch tower and then approaching the launch tower for captu re.
Even if the capture attempt in the fifth test flight fails, it will provide data for SpaceX to try again in subsequent tests. The main goal of the Starship test flight is to collect data.