Elon Musk's SpaceX Makes History, Catches Starship Ship 42 in Mid-Air

Washington: Elon Musk's company SpaceX has achieved a major achievement in the field of space. The company's Starship spacecraft returned safely after spending about 22 hours in space and 14 orbits around the Earth. The special thing was that this time instead of landing the spacecraft on the ground, the two giant mechanical arms installed on the launch tower held it in the air. This is the first time that the upper part of a Starship returning after going into space has been successfully captured with this technology.

This achievement is also important for SpaceX because the company has been working for a long time towards making its rocket completely reusable.

When and where was Ship 42 launched?

The upper part of SpaceX's Starship, i.e. Ship 42, took off on November 14 from the Starbase Launch Center in Texas, USA. This was the 15th test flight of Starship. After being in space for about 22 hours, it returned on November 15 at around 2:52 am Indian time.

During this period the spacecraft made 14 revolutions around the Earth. While returning, it changed its direction in a controlled manner and headed towards the launch tower.

How did the launch tower catch the spacecraft in the air?

To hold the Starship, SpaceX has installed two giant mechanical arms on the launch tower. These are known as 'chopsticks'. These arms work to stop the spacecraft safely by holding it from both sides.

When Ship 42 returned to the launch tower, these two arms held it in the air. Due to this, there was no need to land the spacecraft directly on the launch pad. The purpose of this technology is to make rocket recovery faster and easier.

How many satellites were launched into space during the flight?

During this mission, Starship reached a height of about 275 kilometres. From there it deployed 26 new Starlink V3 satellites into space. These will be used to increase the capacity of SpaceX's satellite internet service.

During the mission, cameras mounted on the spacecraft also recorded images of its outer surface and heat shield. These photographs will help scientists understand how much the spacecraft's safety system was affected during its return from space.

Was SpaceX even successful in capturing the booster?

SpaceX's goal this time was to hold back both parts of Starship i.e. Super Heavy Booster and the upper part Ship 42 with the help of the launch tower. However, the company did not get success in the case of booster.

During the return of the booster after launch, its engine stopped working prematurely. Due to this, its planned path changed and it fell into the Gulf of Mexico. Company engineers are investigating the cause of this incident.

Despite this, the successful return of Ship 42 is being considered a big achievement. This will help SpaceX develop the technology to reuse its entire rocket system in the future.