Blastoff! SpaceX Starship launches on 5th flight, nails 'chopsticks' booster catch!
Join us as SpaceX successfully launches its Starship on its fifth flight! Witness the incredible moment when the booster is caught using the innovative 'chopsticks' system, marking a significant milestone in reusable rocket technology.
SpaceX, Starship, Rocket Launch, Booster Catch, Aerospace Technology, Space Exploration
SpaceX, Starship, Rocket Launch, Booster Catch, Aerospace Technology, Space Exploration
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00Best words you could possibly hear 20 seconds away from liftoff.
00:09T minus 5 4 3 2 1.
00:24We have liftoff.
00:38Vehicle is pitching downrange.
00:5130 seconds into the flight.
01:00The rubble is just starting to reach us here at launch control.
01:12That is the sound of 33 Raptor engines.
01:26Max Q.
01:29Now pass through the maximum aerodynamic pressure, the most stress the vehicle is going to see on the way uphill.
01:46All right.
01:47Our next major milestone coming up, it's going to be hot staging.
01:50We're going to see the engines ignite on ship to push it away from the booster.
02:13All right.
02:14So hot staging is going to be the next thing coming up.
02:16First we're going to see the booster's engines start to shut down.
02:20All but three.
02:24We're going to do what's called most engines cut off instead of main engine cut off because three are going to keep going.
02:29And then we're going to see the engines on ship ignite.
02:38Right now the tower team is doing their go, no go.
02:51We might hear some really good words soon, too.
02:53All right.
02:59Mind me, that is one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen in my entire life.
03:03Coming up on hot staging next.
03:08There's most engines cut off.
03:15Hot stage separation confirmed.
03:23Ship under its own power.
03:25I'm seeing six out of six Raptors lit.
03:28Hopefully I got a booster on the way back to me.
03:30I'm going to send it to you guys in Hawthorne.
03:33Oh, man, that was absolutely incredible.
03:36I loved how the crowd here in Hawthorne all went, ooh, at that first view of the blue flames from the booster.
03:44As you can see there.
03:50The first stage currently performing, or excuse me, is now making its way back to the launch site.
03:56Again, we are.
03:59The booster and the tower are both performing automated checks to make sure we are go for the booster to return to the launch pad for that catch.
04:07And once those are complete, the flight director.
04:18We did hear that the tower is go for catch.
04:22So that was one of the big criteria we were looking for.
04:29We'll wait to hear that the go for catch has been set.
04:38Beautiful view here from the ship.
04:42And so exciting to hear that we got a go for booster catch.
04:46That means it's going to be a really exciting morning.
04:49Again, the booster is making its way back towards now land in order to make that catch attempt in the tower.
05:01So incredible to see these views.
05:03You can see the ship on the right hand side of your screen.
05:05All six Raptor engines are under full power.
05:11Once again, the booster is making its way back to the launch site.
05:17We are going to try and catch it using the chopsticks on the launch tower.
05:22The exact same tower that it just launched from just, wow, five minutes ago.
05:29I can confirm the command was sent for the booster to come back.
05:38So I'm looking up right now.
05:40It's pretty much right over ahead of us and we can see it starting to come down.
05:47I can't wait for us to hear the sonic boom through Dan's mic.
05:52That is going to be incredible.
05:54It was so cool to hear the liftoff.
05:56And so once again, a successful on-time liftoff of Starship Flight 5.
06:02The ship has separated from the booster.
06:06The booster is there on your screen.
06:08It is making its way back to the launch site.
06:11We are going to attempt the catch using the chopsticks.
06:14We did hear the confirmation that the command was sent to the tower.
06:19We are go for catch.
06:23And in order to –
06:24Hey, guys, we should just be about 30 seconds away from our landing burn.
06:30It's going to happen in three phases where you land.
06:3213 engines burn off all of that velocity.
06:35You can see it coming down through the plume.
06:40Booster coming in hot for booster catch.
06:44We're going to ignite 13 of those Raptor engines.
06:47And this view is incredible right now.
06:53You can see how fast this vehicle is moving on the left-hand screen.
07:0213 engines.
07:05We're now down to three Raptor engines.
07:08We can see those chopsticks now in the air.
07:23Booster landing burn shutdown.
07:26Everyone has caught the booster.
07:34This is absolutely insane.
07:37For the first ever attempt,
07:39we have successfully caught the Super Heavy booster back at the launch tower.
07:46What an incredible view.
07:51Are you kidding me?
07:57Wow.
08:00Dan, I don't know about you, but we're losing our stuff over here.
08:04Guys, I'm sorry.
08:08Like, even at this day and age, what we just saw, that looked like magic.
08:13Oh, wow.
08:15Dan, your view must have been insane.
08:19We are still going wild over here.
08:24Folks, this is a day for the engineering history books.
08:33This is a live view of the Super Heavy booster
08:37as it has just been successfully caught back at the very same launch tower that it just came from.
08:43Dan, I love this.
08:45You are reflecting exactly what everybody else here in Hawthorne,
08:49except maybe a little bit more because you got to see it with your own eyes.
08:53How was that?
08:55We caught it.
09:01I can't even describe that.
09:03Oh, by the way, ship, main engine cut off.
09:06Ship's in orbit.
09:09I am shaking right now.
09:17Let's check in on ship.
09:19It's hard to believe.
09:22Oh, right. Exciting news there.
09:24It's hard to believe that, you know, booster isn't the only excitement that we have today.
09:28Just confirmation there.
09:29A gorgeous view of planet Earth behind the ship.
09:34And it is now in the orbit that we expected it to.
09:38This is just an incredible day.
09:40Live views there as the booster vents some pressures there.
09:44That is a live view from the top of the tower looking at the chopsticks.
09:48I am still in disbelief.
09:50I'm trying to catch my tears just like the chopsticks caught the booster.
09:56It has been nonstop since liftoff.
10:03And we are all so excited about everything that's been happening so far this morning.
10:08With the booster having completed its job for today,
10:12we are going to take a short break for the next 30 minutes.
10:16We will return back at T-plus 40 minutes while the ship continues to coast before reentry.