>> WE CAN SEE THOSE CHOPSTICKS. [CHEERS] ED: SPACE X CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF THE WORLD OVER THE WEEKEND, MAKING A FIRST HISTORIC CATCH MIDAIR FOR ONE OF ITS BOOSTERS. FOR MORE ON WHAT THIS LEAP MEANS FOR SPACEX EXPLORATION, LAUREN BRESCIA JOINS US. THEY WERE ACTUALLY TWO MILESTONES AND WE NEED TO TALK AND THE STARSHIP COMPONENT OF IT, BUT LET'S START WITH THE BOOSTER, WHY THAT WAS SIGNIFICANT, THE IDEA OF RAPID REUSABILITY. LAUREN: THIS WAS A BIG HURDLE THAT SPACEX NEEDED TO CLEAR IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT FOR STARSHIP. THE PROMISE IS THAT STARSHIP WILL BE FULLY REUSABLE. SO BOTH POTIONS -- BOTH PORTIONS OF THE VEHICLE NEED TO

SURVIVE AFTER THE LAUNCH. WHEN THEY FIRST PROPOSED THE IDEA, PEOPLE WERE SKEPTICAL. SPACEX HAS PERFECTED LANDING ITS ROCKETS WITH ITS FALCON 9, BUT WHEN THIS WAS PROPOSED, CATCHING THE ROCKET IN MIDAIR RATHER THAN LANDING IT, A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE WONDERING HOW THIS WOULD WORK. IT SEEMED TO WORK LIKE A CHARM, AT LEAST FROM WHAT WE SAW. I THINK THEY PROVED A LOT OF SKEPTICS WRONG OVER THE WEEKEND. CAROLINE: NOW NASA IS GOING AS FAR AS TO CONSIDER THAT MAYBE WE ARE LANDING ON THE MOON, USING STARSHIP AS EARLY AS 2025. TALK ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO GET US THERE. LOREN: THE CURRENT PLAN IS LANDING IN 2026 WITH PEOPLE. JUST TO CAUTION, THERE IS STILL

A LONG ROAD AHEAD FOR STARSHIP. THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY A HUGE MILESTONE FOR THE COMPANY, BUT NEXT THEY NEED TO SHOWCASE THEY CAN REFUEL STARSHIP IN ORBIT. THAT IS ESSENTIALLY LIKE FILLING UP AT THE GAS TANK BUT WITH A LOT MORE ENGINEERING CHALLENGES. THIS WILL BE CRUCIAL TO THAT BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO CATCH AND THEN RELAUNCH THE BOOSTER OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH BACK-TO-BACK LAUNCHES IN ORDER TO PERFORM THOSE REFUELING MISSIONS. ED: STARSHIP GETS TO ORBITAL ALTITUDE, SPEED, GOES AROUND THE WORLD, CONTROL LANDS INTO THE INDIAN OCEAN. TALK ME THROUGH THAT PART. LOREN: DURING THE LAST FLIGHT, STARSHIP STRUGGLE COMING BACK FROM SPACE, WE SAW IT BURNING UP AND BREAKING APART PLUNGING

THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE. SPACEX SAID THEY DID A TOTAL REVAMP ON THE HEAT SHIELD ON STARSHIP, AND FROM WHAT WE SAW, IT SEEMED TO SURVIVE RELATIVELY INTACT. DEFINITELY NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS THE PRIOR FLIGHT. SO IT DID SURVIVE. WHEN THEY TRIED TO SPLASH DOWN IN THE OPEN, THEY WERE ABLE TO FLIP AND DO A PRETTY PRECISE LANDING. IT REALLY WAS A BIG MILESTONE FOR BOTH THE BOOSTER AND STARSHIP, SHOWCASING MAYBE THIS ROCKET CAN BE FULLY REUSABLE. TO BE FAIR, SOMETHING THAT SPACEX HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE YET WITH ITS FALCON 9. PART OF IT IS STILL DESTROYED AFTER LAUNCH, SO THIS WOULD BE A PARADIGM SHIFT FOR SPACEX AND

SpaceX’s First Midair Rocket Catch

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SpaceX’s First Midair Rocket Catch

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