Aerial photo of the SpaceX rocket catcher has been shared by Elon Musk
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has provided a closer look at the launch and landing equipment for his company’s next-generation Super Heavy rocket.
Musk posted a video of the launch and landing tower on Sunday, showing the clamp-like arms that will grasp the first-stage rocket when it returns to Earth after launching the second-stage Starship into orbit.
Using the rocket again will allow SpaceX to follow in the footsteps of its workhorse Falcon 9 boosters that have been reused in recent years.
After the technology is fully built, an animation generated by C-bass Production at the end of last year shows how Super Heavy would launch and land.
As shown in the video, the Super Heavy booster will return to a particular location between two clamps that will close and stabilise the rocket before landing. The clamps would then move down the launch tower, gently resetting the rocket.
Musk said catching Super Heavy will save the business money on creating landing legs for the rocket. Less weight means less fuel and/or more cargo.
A return to the launch tower may mean another flight in “under an hour,” he said.
The FAA has yet to approve SpaceX’s request to launch Super Heavy and Starship from its Boca Chica, Texas, facility.
The FAA’s decision is now expected by the end of February, opening the door for a launch in March.
The tower in Musk’s video won’t try to capture the Super Heavy on its first flight since the landing technology isn’t ready yet. Instead, it will crash in the Gulf of Mexico.
Super Heavy will have 31 Raptor engines and will be the most powerful rocket ever built, surpassing the Saturn V that sent NASA humans to the moon five decades ago.
The second-stage Starship will employ six Raptor engines to send people to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
