With Starship catch, SpaceX still shows it can dazzle the world
摘要
SpaceX在得克萨斯州星基地完成星舰上级助推器捕获试验。飞行末段，火箭由水平姿态转为垂直，三台猛禽发动机点火后缓慢靠近发射塔，最终由塔架机械臂夹住箭体两侧各约一英尺的凸起结构完成捕获。整个过程不到一分钟。此举被视为该公司在开发大型快速可复用火箭方面取得的重要进展。
STARBASE, Texas—The black and silver ship fell out of the sky, emerging from the cloud deck near the very end of its flight. Incongruously, the rocket flew horizontal until the last moment when three Raptor rocket engines ignited and it swooped into a vertical position.
Slowly, gently, haltingly, the Starship upper stage eased its way toward the waiting tower where two arms extended outward, awaiting expectantly. The margins are so incredibly narrow. Two nubs on either side of the rocket, each protruding only about one foot, were the only purchase the rocket would have on the arms.
Then, less than a minute after it came into view, the Starship upper stage was snagged by the launch tower, as snug as you like. And so it was all over. SpaceX, nearly a quarter of a century after its founding, had just taken a hugely significant step toward developing and optimizing a massive, rapidly reusable rocket.
转载信息
评论 (0)
暂无评论，来留下第一条评论吧