Starship Flight Test 5
On Sunday, we watched the launch of Starship 5 from SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica in Texas. It was as spectacular as such things always are. The really impressive and innovative part of the test flight was the recovery of the Super Heavy rocket booster. It travelled back to the launch site and was captured by huge metal arms, called ‘chopsticks’ which prevented it from a hard landing. The objective is to use the Super Heavy rocket booster in future launches.
The spacecraft landed in the ocean and will not be recovered. Further tests will practise landing spacecraft on dry land.
Starship is destined to land US astronauts on the moon in 2026 in an ongoing bid to create a permanent settlement on the moon. This would then be the first stage in the development of further settlements in deep space. The USA and China are engaged in a race to become the first deep space settlement pioneers.
