SpaceX recovers a spacecraft for the first time in history

Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully accomplished, for the first time in history, the recovery of the upper stage of a conventional orbital rocket: the Starship spacecraft safely returned to the launch pad after spending a day in orbit. CNN reports that the spacecraft emerged from a cloudy sky at the end of a descent that crossed the continent, precisely positioning itself between the mechanical arms, nicknamed "chopstick arms," located above launch pad 2. This is one of the greatest engineering achievements in aerospace history. Starship, standing 52 meters tall, successfully completed an unprecedented landing maneuver at the "Mechazilla" launch tower in southern Texas, in a feat that is the first of its kind. SpaceX launched the mission, with an expected duration of 22 hours, on Friday afternoon despite the nationwide ground stop imposed by the FAA due to communications issues. Rockets use tracking and navigation systems different from those used by aircraft: in an unprecedented maneuver, the Starship spacecraft descended with extreme precision, being caught in the arms of SpaceX's "Mechazilla" launch tower. This is the first time in the history of astronautics that the upper stage of a rocket has returned from orbit and performed a safe vertical landing: a result that could pave the way for its future reuse. Today's success came after SpaceX engineers had warned that the company could abort the attempt at any moment should problems arise. Company spokespeople repeatedly stressed that, given the nature of the risks, flight directors would have to take a cautious approach. To reach the launch tower, Starship had to fly over populated areas of Texas and Mexico. During its descent, Starship used the four small wings — or "flaps" — on its outer surface. "During reentry, Starship can modify its flight trajectory by moving its four control flaps. This allows it to maintain a safe and predetermined path, guiding itself with extreme precision toward Starbase," SpaceX said in a statement. All rights reserved © Copyright ANSA