Starship had a mostly successful launch and flight during its 15th try with its Starship. The things that went according to plan included:
- Successful rocket launch;
- Successful release of 26 Starlink satellites;
- Successful orbit of the Earth 14 times; and
- Successful capture of the returning rocket.
The one glitch was the booster’s self-destruction rather than its capture.
All in all, it was a good day for SpaceX and NASA with Artemis III on the horizon.
Is the capture of the rocket really necessary? Not really. In my opinion, it is a bit of a show and an unnecessary threat to ground equipment. Both the booster and rocket have the ability to land without being captured mid-air and risking the loss of the launch tower, which makes a little more sense.
Many argue that the capture allows for a rapid rocket turnaround, and SpaceX is talking about 10,000 annual launches of the Starship by 2030, or one launch per hour. This volume seems to be an unrealistic wish (like many Musk ideas), mainly aimed at commercial rather that NASA needs, and, as noted, dangerous if one landing rocket can destroy the launch tower, thereby stopping launches altogether.
Regardless of the show Musk is currently putting on for investors, I am more interested in the upcoming Moon mission. We do not need 10,000 launches – we need a series of strategic launches to put equipment and humans on the lunar surface. That should be the focus for the moment. Can anyone tell this to Mr. Musk? And will he listen?
