Exolaunch’s Post

SpaceX's Starship Catch: A Physics and Engineering Masterpiece Just witnessed history in the making! SpaceX successfully caught their Super Heavy booster with the "Mechazilla" launch tower after Starship's fifth test flight. This is more than just a cool maneuver – it's a testament to the power of real-world physics and engineering. Think about some of the challenges involved: * System Dynamics Modeling and Simulation: Accurately predicting the booster's trajectory after stage separation, factoring in atmospheric conditions, remaining propellant, and aerodynamic forces. * Control Engineering: Designing a robust control system to guide the booster back to the launch site and precisely align it with the capture arms. * System Design: Engineering the massive "Mechazilla" tower to withstand the forces of catching a returning rocket booster, including structural integrity, hydraulic systems, and quick-response mechanisms. This achievement is an epitome of what's possible when we push the boundaries of science and technology. It opens up exciting possibilities for reusable launch systems and paves the way for more ambitious space exploration endeavors. #SpaceX #Starship #Engineering #Physics #Innovation #SystemDesign #ControlEngineering #SystemDynamics

A powerful reminder of how innovation drives the future of space commerce. ⭐️ 🚀 Breakthroughs and long term success of those breakthroughs don’t happen in a vacuum—they require investments in infrastructure and forward-thinking policy shifts. Space Florida continues to lead on both of these fronts.

Hats off to SpaceX! If all U.S. aerospace and defense companies adopted SpaceX’s culture of innovation, risk tolerance, and bold vision—combined with access to similar resources, talent, and drive, while collaborating together—I believe the U.S. could achieve space supremacy. While there is incredible potential in the sector, unfortunately we’re not there yet. Progress is slowed by bureaucracy and a more risk-averse mindset. Many rely on historical trends and bell-shaped curves to predict the future, which can blind us to rare ‘black swan’ events that fall outside the expected spectrum—whether historic breakthroughs like this moment or catastrophic and unforeseen calamities. Black Swans often hide in plain sight, overlooked because they don’t fit conventional patterns. This is why it’s essential to stay both vigilant and open-minded, embracing innovation and collaboration while being prepared for the seemingly impossible and highly improbable. #sempersupra

Hi Michael Sheetz, Would you agree that Starship is a Moon-Mars-class rocket that is now flying? Did you see what Administrator Nelson told AvWeek recently? AVWEEK: "If (SpaceX's Starship) can do the job with less money and less overhead, should they?" ADMINISTRATOR NELSON: "All I know is there is only one [Moon-/Mars-class] rocket flying and that is the SLS. The others are not off the ground and haven’t orbited yet, so I’ve got to take it one step at a time." I guess Starship "technically" has not orbited yet. It did not completely go around the Earth. What more proof do we need? How much longer are we going to waste billions a year on SLS?

Engineering always finds new ways to amaze

Yes, just as “Any sufficiently advanced technology” should. https://lnkd.in/gAaBe4hP.

SpaceX has conducted another flight test of its Starship rocket, this time catching the booster and suffering a failure on the ship Details for Cosmic Nxws -> https://lnkd.in/eeztuCNT

The power of rugged adaptive MIMO controls with the computation it requires. Only today, it couldn't be done back in Apollo times.

We are in the route of much more real projects in space.