SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a video of a tower designed to catch the company’s massive Starship rocket.
Starship — the vessel that Musk says will eventually take astronauts to Mars — comes equipped with 29 Raptor engines, stands 400 feet tall, and is <a href="https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/">able</a> to carry over 220,000 pounds into orbit. Earlier this week, Musk gave his Twitter followers a look at the new structure.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Starship launch &amp; catch tower <a href="https://t.co/5mLIQwwu0k">pic.twitter.com/5mLIQwwu0k</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1480326831031173124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-launch-tower-arms-starship-lift-simulation/">Teslarati</a> reported that the tower’s “arms” are undergoing proof tests from SpaceX:
<blockquote>That process began in earnest on January 4th, when SpaceX lifted, opened, and swung the tower’s building-sized arms for the first time. Four days later, SpaceX performed a variation on the first round of tests, again slowly lifting the assembly up the side of the launch tower and opening and closing the arms. The most notable difference was the addition of several tandem swing tests, which hinted at more applied tests that were soon to come. SpaceX also performed some basic tests with a third Starship fueling arm higher up on the tower, very slowly swinging it towards where Starship would be standing…
SpaceX could obviously use a giant crawler or tower crane to accomplish a similar feat but cranes — especially large and tall ones — are extremely sensitive to wind conditions and effectively become very unsafe to operate in anything more than a brisk breeze. To put it lightly, even the average weather on the South Texas Gulf Coast is anything but conducive to the routine and reliable operation of giant cranes, which is exactly what SpaceX would need to avoid near-future Starship launch and recovery operations being constantly delayed by weather.</blockquote>
Last month, Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spacex-has-begun-constructing-starship-launchpad-in-florida-says-elon-musk">unveiled</a> another stage of the Starship project — the securing and modification of Pad 39A in Florida, which once served as the iconic launch point for NASA’s Apollo missions and space shuttle flights.
“Construction of Starship orbital launch pad at the Cape has begun,” <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1466797158737268743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1466797158737268743%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2021%2F12%2F03%2Felon-musk-spacex-starts-construction-of-starship-launchpad-in-florida.html">tweeted</a> the executive.
“39A is hallowed spaceflight ground — no place more deserving of a Starship launch pad!” he <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1466851970443010056">added</a>. “Will have similar, but improved, ground systems &amp; tower to Starbase.”
NASA confirmed that SpaceX is “within the rights of their lease agreement to make launch infrastructure improvements within the boundaries of the pad.” The agency is not financially supporting the new construction.
Over the past two decades, SpaceX has driven a push toward cutting costs through reusable rockets that can land themselves. In the past two years, SpaceX has taken more than 1,900 <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites.html">satellites</a> into orbit and carried American <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/success-u-s-launches-men-into-space-from-american-soil-first-time-in-nearly-a-decade">astronauts</a> to the International Space Station — the first time astronauts have launched from American soil in nearly a decade.
The prospect of space tourism has gained steam in recent months. In July, Virgin Galactic carried a small <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/branson-wins-billionaire-space-race-hits-53-miles-above-earth-in-rocket-plane">crew</a> of civilians — including Richard Branson, the company’s founder — fifty-three miles above the Earth on a rocket-powered plane. By a margin of only a few days, Branson beat Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/billionaire-bezos-blasts-into-space-soars-to-66-5-miles-high-lands-safely-back-on-earth">mission</a> to win the “billionaire space race.”

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

WATCH: Elon Musk Unveils Massive New Device For Catching Rockets From Space

CONTINUE READING

Bud Light Sales Continue To Plummet, May Soon Lose Status As Number-One Beer

‘Profoundly Christian’: Former Head Of Anglican Church Presses British Government To Endorse Assisted Suicide

Ben Shapiro Reacts To Debt Limit Deal, Hits Both Democrats And Republicans Over Spending Habits

‘The Chosen’ Defends Pride Flag Spotted On Set: ‘Let The Show Speak For Itself’

Chick-Fil-A Faces Backlash As Their Diversity Efforts Resurface, Other Woke Brands Take Beating

North Korea Sentenced Two-Year-Old To Life In Prison After Family Caught With Bible: State Department

News

Elon Musk

SpaceX

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Menu

— News —

WATCH: Elon Musk Unveils Massive New Device For Catching Rockets From Space