Elon Musk Unveils Recovery Plan for SpaceX’s Super Heavy Amplifier, which catches the engine with the launch tower
- Elon Musk has revealed that Starship Heavy’s illness will be caught on his return
- Musk suggests using the launch tower arm used to stabilize the vehicle
- This would reduce costs and immediately position the amplifier for another launch
- Musk also said that this method will allow him to take off again in less than an hour
Elon Musk is known for revealing ambitious plans and most recently suggests that the Startship’s Super Heavy amplifier will not land, but will be caught when it returns to Earth.
The CEO of SpaceX shared on Twitter that the heavy amplifier, which is still under development, will be recovered by the launch tower arm used to stabilize the vehicle during its preparations before takeoff.
The proposed method would immediately reposition the amplifier on the launch pad, allowing it to take flight again “in less than an hour”.
SpaceX is working on the Super Heavy rocket at its test facility in Boca Chica, Texas, but is prepared to perform several test flights of its Starship prototypes that have no massive booster.
Starship consists of two – the Super Heavy booster and the rocket that Musk designed to carry up to 100 people to Mars at once.
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Elon Musk is known for revealing ambitious plans and most recently suggests that the Startship’s Super Heavy amplifier will not land, but will be caught when it returns to Earth. The CEO of SpaceX shared on Twitter that the heavy amplifier, which is still under development, will be recovered by the launch tower arm used to stabilize the vehicle during its preparations before takeoff.
Now that SpaceX has released three of the Starship prototypes, it looks like the company is starting to make plans for how the process will work when the booster is added.
Musk’s ambitious plan would be a way to reduce costs and mass, eliminating the need for the amplifier to have legs for landing.
However, if the CEO achieves his goal by sending one million people to Mars by 2025, SpaceX will have to launch several astral ships in one day.
When the tower arm catches the amplifier, it is immediately put back into “ready” mode, allowing it to take off again in less than an hour.
The proposed method would immediately reposition the booster on the launch pad, allowing it to take flight again “in less than an hour”.
Starship consists of two – the Super Heavy booster and the rocket that Musk designed to carry up to 100 people to Mars at once
The last spacecraft to take a test flight, Serial Number 8 (SN8), was considered the most successful launch – but it was also the most destructive.
The world tuned in on December 10 to watch the massive rocket take off from Boca Chica in order to reach 41,000 feet in the air – the highest “hop” of any ship.
The ascent of the prototype ship took about six minutes before the engines stopped and the SN8 began its journey back to the launch pad.
People sat on the edge of their seats as the rocket approached the ground – wondering if Musk’s prediction of a crash landing would prove correct.
When Starship finally touched, it ignited in flames – and once the fire and smoke cleared, all that was left was a pile of debris covered by what was left of the ship’s nose cone.
Musk shared his enthusiasm for the launch on Twitter, writing: “Successful ascent, transition to header tanks and precise control of the damper to the landing point!”
“The fuel tank pressure was low during landing combustion, which led to a high touch speed and RUD, but I got all the data I needed! Congratulations SpaceX team damn !!
Starship consists of two – the Super Heavy booster and the rocket that Musk designed to carry up to 100 people to Mars at once
The CEO later thanked South Texas for their support in a separate tweet, followed by another saying “Mars, here we are!”
In the last year alone, SpaceX has completed two low-altitude flight tests with the SN5 and SN6 and over 16,000 seconds of running time while the engine is grounded.
“In addition, with accelerated production and increased loyalty, SpaceX has built 10 Starship prototypes. SN9 is almost ready to move to the buffer, which now has two active stands for rapid development testing, ‘the company said.
Landing is one of the most important aspects – because it must be fully reusable to achieve the goals and price per flight set by the SpaceX team.
There are a number of potential uses for Starship – including the deployment of hundreds of satellites in orbit simultaneously and the landing of astronauts on the Moon and Mars.