SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy New Landing Method Just Shocked NASA! 

SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy New Landing Method Just Shocked NASA!
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#Q88M #q88m #spacex #starship #elonmusk
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SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy New Landing Method Just Shocked NASA!
SpaceX has made a name for itself with its mind-blowing ability to land rockets on drone ships, a feat they've perfected with the Falcon 9. Why aren't they using this method for their mighty Starship?
Well, why not? Many people are under the misconception that landing on the "chopsticks" is the be-all and end-all for Starship. They're all wrong.
SpaceX has always had an audacious vision-landing Starship right in the middle of the ocean.
So, how exactly is Starship going to land on drone ships? And what does SpaceX need to do to ensure a safe touchdown for both the spacecraft and the booster?
Let’s find out in today’s episode!
SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy New Landing Method Just Shocked NASA!
SpaceX's ambition to land Starship on a drone ship is crystal clear, especially with their decision to launch Starship from LC-39A. That’s right-not just Falcon 9, but soon this iconic launch pad will witness the debut of the most powerful rocket ever built. SpaceX has already submitted a detailed operational plan to the FAA, which includes environmental impact assessments and landing options for both Starship and the Super Heavy booster.
In this plan, SpaceX has proposed three landing scenarios for Starship. The first-and perhaps the most ambitious-is the "chopsticks landing." This concept is well-known among SpaceX fans: the launch tower will use two massive arms to "catch" the rocket's two stages as they return to Earth.
The second option is landing on a drone ship, a floating platform in the ocean. This method has become a SpaceX trademark with the Falcon 9’s boosters, and for Starship, it promises flexibility in landing site selection. Landing on a drone ship allows SpaceX to easily position and recover the launch vehicle, especially during missions far from shore.
SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy New Landing Method Just Shocked NASA!
The final option, known as a "controlled softlanding," serves as a backup in case the other methods aren’t feasible. This is a “destructive” scenario where the rocket is intentionally landed in the ocean and not recovered.
SpaceX successfully tested a soft landing during Starship's fourth flight, and landing on Mechazilla’s arms is a familiar concept and a must-achieve goal for SpaceX. But what about landing on a drone ship?
This raises an intriguing question: How could Starship safely touch down on a flat surface? The answer lies in landing legs.
In fact, landing legs aren’t something new for Starship. They’re already part of the Human Landing System version designed for Moon missions and will be crucial for future variants built to land on Mars. Imagine-these landing legs need to be robust and flexible enough to handle terrain far more rugged and unforgiving than Earth's surface. So for the upper stage of this launch vehicle, landing on a drone ship is never an issue. Starship has variants specifically designed to tackle challenges far tougher than that.
However, Super Heavy, the main booster of the Starship system, is designed with a different philosophy compared to the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) systems we’re used to seeing with Falcon 9 missions. Instead, the Super Heavy booster is equipped with special mounting points on its body to facilitate the "chopsticks" system-a unique catch-and-land mechanism developed by SpaceX exclusively for the Starship system.