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Catching the Starship booster could have led to a disaster.

The Mechzilla servicing tower successfully captured the Super Heavy booster on its first attempt during the fifth test flight of the Starship transport system on October 13, 2024. However, the outcome could have been disastrous.
Поимка ускорителя Starship могла привести к серьезным последствиям.
Super Heavy возвращается на «Звездную базу» SpaceX / © SpaceX

The founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, posted a three-minute video on social media platform X, featuring a conversation among several individuals observing the testing process.

One unnamed employee reported an issue with the landing accelerator of the Starship, where the pressure in one of the Raptor engines did not increase.

“We were a second away from stumbling, aborting the flight, and causing the rocket to crash into the ground near the tower,” he stated.

Part of the released audio recording seemingly addressed the results of the fifth flight and the planning of upcoming Starship tests.

Unlike previous launches, where the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued new or updated permits right before takeoff, SpaceX has already received approval for the sixth flight.