How SpaceX Plans To CATCH A Rocket From Space!

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The 5th full stack flight of Starship will be absolutely ridiculous! SpaceX is attempting to catch Starship’s Super Heavy booster, out of the sky after it's flown to space, with a giant robotic tower.
Today we’ll go over the hardware involved, the flight profile, what exactly we can expect and perhaps most importantly, WHY SpaceX is trying to catch the largest rocket ever built in the first place.
Check out Ryan Hansen Space's video on this subject as well! - • How SpaceX Will Catch ...
Here’s an article version! - everydayastron...
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - The Plan
09:45 - Sponsor
11:10 - Why
14:25 - Final Thoughts
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[@EverydayAstronaut]

Go to ground.news/everydayastronaut to stay informed on SpaceX and all things space with a balanced perspective to form your own conclusions. Subscribe through my link to get 40% off unlimited access with the Vantage Plan this month.

[@damitcam]

I wonder if those early flight tests were to help develop the software to control the part where the booster scoots towards the arms

[@damitcam]

Also imagine someone accidentally sends the booster to the wrong tower one day. Like oops there was a billion dollar satellite on our landing spot. This is just a joke btw

[@jtjames79]

Anyone else remember getting banned from r/SpaceX for suggesting they catch the rocket with a robot arm? It was literally a rule. Pepperidge farms remembers.

[@Starkyou]

​@@jtjames79Wow, just had that same idea, Tesla bot and all, the tech is there, right? Operator controlled with a joystick. Must work! 😅

[@lengord2142]

8:26 i suppose in case it fails to catch could also decrease damage from explosion greatly

[@Jeb_bezos]

Either way this will be one of the most memorable flight tests

[@mc-zy7ju]

Excitement guaranteed

[@Britonbear]

Yeah whatever happens it will be hailed as a great success.

[@dennydravis8758]

Absolutely - let's just hope that the chances of an RUD upon landing is lower than it may first appear.

[@Ri_Shin_Marco]

@@Britonbear For us yeah. But media around the world would say things like SpaceX rocket exploded again this time on the launch side etc.. I can still remeber the news article of flight 4...

[@Britonbear]

@@Ri_Shin_Marco You misunderstand me. I am not one of 'us'.

[@dandymcgee]

If they succeed, it's revolutionary, if they fail, it's spectacular. It's a win-win.

[@johnvriezen4696]

And if they decide to ditch in the ocean it won't be memorable.

[@smugfrog8111]

​@@johnvriezen4696 All of these tests will be largley forgotten by the general public when the first landings on the Moon and Mars happen. People like us will remember the test campaign, but the majority of people aren't even aware Starship exists. Far too busy worried about sportsball.

[@theelephantintheroom69]

Excitement is guaranteed, as Elon says

[@Nuke-MarsX]

@@smugfrog8111 yeah thats the most frustrating thing, spacex is doing all the incredible revolutianary things and all of my familly and firends dont even know it exists

[@Ty67514]

@@Nuke-MarsXyeah

[@SFSStarman]

This is going to be one of the the most interesting and important moments in spaceflight history Godspeed Starship

[@rolandtobiasz]

Until the next most interesting and important moment in spaceflight history. Things are moving very fast in today's world. I'm 56 yo and although I missed the moon landings, I do remember how exciting it was to watch the Space Shuttles, but now that we're back in the space race, I can only imagine the excitement of my parents generation with the first manned flights and moon landings.

[@SFSStarman]

@@rolandtobiasz let’s hope to see a moon base and or a manned mars landing in our lifetime

[@Richard-wh9wm]

Yes yes. Godspeed Starship. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Three_Random_Words]

@@rolandtobiasz I’m 59 and I definitely remember Apollo 15, 16, and 17. What about recalling Skylab and Apollo/Soyuz?

[@nekrugderzweite8298]

i really love these calm, explainative videos!

[@EverydayAstronaut]

ayyy thanks for saying calm 😂 I appreciate that, I've been trying harder and harder to just be myself on camera and not acting like some hype man or something and this feels so much more natural to me and hopefully to my viewers as well. Thanks for saying something 🙏

[@notfunny3397]

​@@EverydayAstronautits great, you sound enthusiastic but not loud or panicked or anything

[@lizrdgizrd]

​​@@EverydayAstronautSpaceX doesn't need a hype man anyway. They just keep doing the "impossible" with exciting explosions along the way!

[@daisyoscarshow8368]

Likewise, seem further and further apart these days. Nsf have great regular content

[@nekrugderzweite8298]

@@EverydayAstronaut thats definetly the way, at least for me! Nobody needs an overacting hype man 😁

[@sadboidex6106]

the thing with the deluge is if that cold plate gets any damage from those engines they have to be replaced. firing the deluge ensures no debris enters those holes and to prevent any material oblation

[@cube2fox]

Good point. Perhaps it's also meant to mitigate the explosion in case the catch fails?

[@EverydayAstronaut]

oooo both excellent points!

[@martylawson1638]

@@cube2fox I would expect the IR flash from the fireball after a crash and any puddle fires to be the biggest risks to the launch complex. Running the Deluge would help with both. The launch mount is built THICK out of cheap steel so dents should just be an annoyance.

[@jameswilson5165]

Also, although nothing can be done about the sonic boom, the deluge firing will dampen the noise a bit and help dissipate the heat the back end of a returning booster will have.

[@TheHeavenman88]

Wow I miss analysis of this kind from you Tim ! No one does it like you do .

[@eddjordan2399]

cis star base i like and scott but Tim is my go to.

[@IIlIIllII]

The sound, the music, the mixing, perfect leveling. Your voice is clearly heard over the music, the music completely matches the theme of your channel, is has a decent bass as well. This also goes for the rest of the video, where you talk over launch sounds etc. I know this comment is petty, but I am just literally completely impressed.

[@aaaaa5272]

The music is terrible!!!

[@cube2fox]

And he made the music himself!

[@EaglePicking]

I listened to this video in my studio with big speakers and I also immediately noticed how well the audio is done. Hat of to the audio engineer.

[@calebcourteau]

Good audio mixing is always appreciated. Many get it wrong.

[@nathandorris896]

​@@EaglePickingTim is a musician and audiophile. His audio mix has always been one of the strongest parts of his channel.

[@nicepixels8076]

"in thrust we trust"

[@MerrickSternEditz]

fr

[@Le3eFrereBrunet]

‘There is no replacement for thrust’

[@JAGFG42]

It’s honestly just the most hardcore way of weight savings there is, the booster has no deployment legs, so instead of crushing the rockets if they tried to land it, they are just gunna catch it. Maximum performance to weight ratio.. I love it.

[@Nunya-py2vj]

but how is catching a booster going to help them with getting to mars? Isnt that what starship is all about? getting humans to mars? There is no OLM or Tower on mars so how is catching a booster furthering the goal of getting humans to mars and colonizing it?

[@HansMilling]

Excitement guaranteed

[@InventingThings]

its a good day when tim uploads a new video

[@Beldizar]

I think there's probably a 1% chance of a major explosion at the tower, a 39% chance of a divert to sea and explosion on the water, and a 60% chance of a mostly successful catch. I really would trust the SpaceX flight computer to divert if there's a problem, but I think there's something like a 95% chance of a divert to the water for one crash landing in the first 10 attempts. I'd bet they get something working on the first one, then delete something they think is waste that turns out to have been important and have to add it back in.

[@juliahello6673]

85% of statistics are made up on the spot 😏

[@callenvlogs5989]

It’s a manual command actually before BB burn ends!

[@snuffeldjuret]

@@callenvlogs5989 you actually didnt respond to what he said

[@cube2fox]

Only 1% chance of explosion at the tower is way too low!

[@neomonk5668]

80% of statistics are made up on the fly.

[@RyanKingArt]

Looking forward to seeing this happen!!!

[@deviljelly3]

You had to drop in "the warm gas thrusters" 😂

[@Notdave29]

The biggest danger to the launch site for catching boosters is the close proximity of the tank farm. Even if it’s mostly empty like the booster, the damage could be a major setback. I assume they must already be planning for a totally different tank farm design for the kind of launch cadence they are hoping for. If they want to achieve airline-like operations then they will get airline-like crashes, most likely in close proximity to the tower.

[@TheLfamily24]

They need under ground tanks.

[@AzureImperium7701X]

Yeah, that is a big potential issue. Edit: though if the guidance is still pretty good if a failure does happen, it might be far enough away.

[@NonSensewithnosense]

They already built a giant concrete wall which is separating launch tower and tanks.

[@Notdave29]

@@NonSensewithnosense Yep, and an off course booster that blows up and veers off course can land right on it. They’ve done the minimal amount of effort on the system as needed so far, which is exactly how you develop something. I’m just curious what they will build when they are launching and landing one every couple days. Nothing that we are looking at now is finished hardware, not the rocket, ship, launch mount, tower, or tank farm.

[@user-4in4nxDonaldRennie]

Mostly empty tanks, & even half-empty tanks, are weaker than full tanks. Pressurized tanks are much stronger than unpressurized tanks. An adult can stand on an unopened beer or soda can, but empty (or opened) cans will crush under a child's weight. Plus the tank farm is protected by a big concrete wall. It will be fine.

[@jordanteichroeb1275]

Can’t wait to watch this after work. Getting pretty hyped for Sunday!!!!

[@Justin-jg2hi]

If this actually happens, it will be one of the greatest achievements in the last hundred years. If it doesn’t happen, the explosion could be legendary

[@angrydoggy9170]

Even if they get it done, it’s pretty useless. Or at least far from the ridiculous promises Musk made about this thing.

[@viewer_5714]

​@@angrydoggy9170What are talking about, if they do ir, it is useless. Which planet are you from?

[@aaaaa5272]

@@viewer_5714 The angrydoggy9170 is just one of those MAGA people who criticize everything and everyone.

[@angrydoggy9170]

@@viewer_5714 Come on. Make an effort. You’re writing English like Musk runs his projects.

[@gaim44]

The greatest achievements in the last hundred years? What are smoking my friend?

[@colinhawkins8265]

Those moments where your jaw hits the floor because something unbelievable is happening during a Starship launch are the best. Lots of potential for those in this launch. Sunday can't come fast enough.

[@SebastianWellsTL]

It's going to be epic!!!

[@DogmaFaucet]

If they get the GO to attempt the catch, I think they have a good chance. It's the Starship reentry that required exploring new regimes of plasma physics, so I think that is technically much more difficult. Catching the booster is more of an epically cool stunt though.

[@colegustafson199]

Ayyyyy, love the new quick intro, short and sweet

[@scottcbecker]

This is going to be an epic event. With the genesis of the SpaceX team performing a historical achievement, i would guess 75-80 % success. Either way, I'm sure I will be screaming with joy for the exploration of space.

[@DJlegionuk]

I am just happy they are so public with the testing and we get to see all this good and bad. I get more excited over these tests than just about anything else you can watch.

[@conor43421]

It's not like they can keep it a secret 🤦

[@konkam744]

@@conor43421 can't you hide the thing someone's backyard🤣

[@David-yo5ws]

@@conor43421 The Chinese do a great job in their mountainous launch site at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Not that I am advocating for Starbase to move to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 😁

[@ryanbeale3901]

As always, thank you for your clear and concise explanation of this craziness. "Go Starship"

[@UnrealatedContingency]

Hey! Hope you see this! I want to see someone explain SpaceX current process of preparing a falcon booster for flight. How much refurbishment is needed exactly? Can't recall ever seeing a recent video detailing this process. Thanks!

[@paulhaynes8045]

The reason you haven't seen any video - or even detailed explanation - is that it's a complex and time-consuming process. Not at all 'as advertised'. Lot of things have to be checked and tested - some things need replacing. And, of course, the booster has to be transported to the factory first - which takes days. A very long way from the 'rapid re-use' that Musk claims. And I don't see the Starship booster being much different. Are they really going to be able to check/repair/replace (and refuel!), while it hangs thee on the tower? Another Musk fantasy, I'm afraid.

[@David-yo5ws]

@@paulhaynes8045 OFFS! The design of the Chopsticks is such, that they can rotate the Super Heavy Booster and place it in the OLM. Then they have the 'Dance Floor' that can be raised underneath to carry out an inspection. The aim is a 4 hour turn-a-round in the long term. In the short term, they will need to do a lot of checks. But the clean Methane/LOX burning, means they do not have to clean the Raptor Engines, unlike the Kero/LOX Merlin engines, that have to be 'de-coked' of the soot residue. Also the development of the Version 3 Raptor Engine, means less parts and bolted sections. This makes it more reliable (one would hope) and faster to check over. I don't know where you get the idea that it 'hangs there on the tower" from?

[@jeromethiel4323]

All advancements sound stupid when you first hear about it. People walking around with a telephone in your pocket?!? Preposterous! And yet we do it every day now and nobody bats an eye. My money is on Space-X.

[@orkharrid7065]

If they succeed the towers require their own proper names, just like the barges. I vote for "So Much For Subtlety" and "A Momentary Lapse Of Sanity".

[@David-yo5ws]

How about "Two Finger Salute to All Other Rocket Companies." I vote in favour of your "A Momentary Lapse Of Sanity" Or, in honour of how they got their name "Man Who Catch Fly With Chopstick, Accomplish Anything" Scene from The Karate Kid (1984) with Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio. RIP Noriyuki Morita (Pat) June 28, 1932 - November 24, 2005 (aged 73)

[@richiejames928]

Honestly can’t believe how under hyped this is… everyone on earth should be watching in awe come Sunday. the engineering to even think this up is just incredible. and if it works first time then surly that’s the biggest achievement in humanity’s history no? and if it doesn’t… it will still be absolutely epic to witness. I cannot wait.

[@wally7856]

"biggest achievement in humanity’s history no" ? What have you been smoking? What about flying a helicopter on Mars? Or the 2 rovers driving around it? Or going to the Moon, collecting some rocks and coming home to talk about it? The JWST? A nuclear submarine? This is literally a nothing burger.

[@David-yo5ws]

Mmmmm, now you have me thinking about the greatest engineering achievement for humanity, in history? The Roman Aquaducts that ensured water for the cities. The microscope. The London sewerage system using underground brick tunnels? The iron smelting process. The Steam Engine that spawned the Industrial Revolution. The Sewing Machine that changed our entire clothing line and made it cheap enough for everyone. The light bulb. The Morse Key and Morse Code. The telephone. The Hoover Dam. The X-ray machine. It's definitely for humanity, if we get cheap payload mass to the moon and beyond!

[@SpaceAdvocate]

I'll give it a 5% chance of failure prior to completed boostback burn, a 40% chance of early abort, where it doesn't get anywhere near the tower, a 20% chance of a late abort, where it fires up the engines, sees things going wrong and then flies off into the water instead, a 10% chance of attempted but failed landing, and a 25% chance of successful landing. And I'll define a successful landing as one where they end the flight suspended from the chocksticks without explosions. Some damage to the booster is acceptable. Will be interesting to see how it goes. Hopefully they get approval for Sunday - that still doesn't seem completely definite.

[@michaelmicek]

That seems fair.

[@dogbreath6974]

@spaceadvocate so your feeling optimistic then.😂

[@SpaceAdvocate]

​@@dogbreath6974 Some people would actually consider me wildly optimistic. But I try to be realistic. And if I am too pessimistic, I'll be pleasantly surprised!

[@OriginalUnknown2]

I agree with this numbers, that's about what I'd bet on too - I hope its the 25%!

[@CraigGood]

I think that SpaceX understands the Law of the Demo: Never precede any demonstration with a statement more specific than, "Watch this".

[@amagicpotato5511]

You've gotten so far cuz of your own hard work my frend! keep it up pls

[@rg1062889]

I honestly think they have a good chance of catching it, if they go for the catch attempt this time. I saw Ift1 & 2 in person, every time they've learned and gotten better from every launch. It truly is inspiring watching what many would seem impossible become regular

[@FerociousPancake888]

The current configuration of starship has approximately 83,500,000 pancakes of thrust

[@MrShocktakan]

You have the best content of any space KZbinr. Thank you for what you do Tim!

[@caldodge]

In addition to the stainless steel construction, I believe Super Heavy enters the atmosphere at a lower velocity than the Falcon 9.

[@remsmith3233]

Let’s not forget that attempting to catch the starship booster: it’s a prototype, and bring a prototype it’s a planned learning event …failure is a learning event.

[@MrBoomer-k6v]

Great video

[@ryanquinn1257]

With the decline of NASA missions I really didn’t have much hope for space travel / science but man does SpaceX make the space kid in me so giddy. If they fail it’s merely a setback not a failure because it’s all progress.

[@LewisKnaggs]

nice

[@Ship_30w]

Hello

[@reedsterr]

Thank you and team for putting this together!

[@JesseJames-kv7xc]

I like the intro, that's the soviet shuttle Buran? 0:57

[@ryanrenolds]

Yup Energia/Buran

[@JesseJames-kv7xc]

@@ryanrenolds i know it, thank's

[@TomiLoveless]

Thanks Tim, your explanation makes me feel slightly better about the upcoming launch, and catch. Also all additional strengthening of the tower helps too. BUT THANKS TIM! GOOD JOB!

[@GregoryDaniels-d1n]

Can someone explain what happened with the FAA? I thought they weren't supposed to launch until late november because of FAA problems

[@michaelmicek]

That is the 64 million dollar question, yeah. Best guess is that while FAA coordinates air space usage, NASA or the DoD can also certify the vehicle for launch without the FAA approving the hardware.

[@cube2fox]

Exactly! Very strange situation.

[@Pranav_Bhamidipati]

Government agencies like to under-promise and over-deliver, quite opposed to Elon's boundless optimism. They sell you the worst-case timelines as the best-case timelines so that they can have as much time as they need to handle any curveballs.

[@goldenfloof5469]

@@Pranav_Bhamidipati ...Has this man ever heard of literally any infrastructure project ran by a government agency in the past forever years?

[@LostRockProject]

Awesome music throughout this video - I often forget about Tim's musical endeavours! Presumably the band playing in the footage of the Astro Awards is Everyday Astronaut?

[@nathanpowell195]

Giant explosion? No, but falling from a missed catch and then maybe a smallish explosion seems likely. I can’t say how much damage that would represent, of course, but it does seem like it could lead to quite a delay.

[@maxsk9074]

second tower is pretty much ready right?

[@nathanpowell195]

@@maxsk9074that helps, but I suspect that the FAA will also want some sort of report about damage caused by an incident on land. But maybe I’m wrong about that?

[@Allthegoodhandlesaretakenlmao]

@@nathanpowell195 the FAA only let falcon fly after that first failure because it didn’t put the launchpad or civilians at risk, so I’m assuming they’re going to be all over starship, maybe to the point of grounding it

[@SpaceAdvocate]

@@maxsk9074 Second tower is probably 6-12 months away from being capable of supporting launches. But a missed catch just isn't that likely to cause enough damage to delay things that much. I'd guess 1-2 months.

[@1americanfrmsocal529]

Not

[@scottyallen7237]

Thanks, Tim, good overview and details. I suspect the primary reason the deluge system is activated for the tower catch/landing is just in case the catch is muffed, the water deluge will minimize the negative RUD effects. I enjoy the thermal, color-changing mug nearly every work day.🙂

[@cube2fox]

I agree, clearly they water is there to mitigate a crash in case the catch fails.

[@andrasbiro3007]

SpaceX needs a good catch phrase.

[@evrydayamerican]

As always with SpaceX excitement guaranteed

[@willimnot]

Odds that it actually launches Sunday??

[@Cosmo_Sim]

They seem pretty fixated on that date

[@Nuke-MarsX]

50/50

[@garthwillard8089]

Try balancing a broomstick and you can appreciate the accuracy to stop all that inertia of a massive cylinder to a complete stop.

[@JohnnyHenry-z1n]

Ryan Hansen is a master at his renders and videography !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@felixfischer5736]

I wonder how later the starship catch will work. Where the booster would be at that moment. I think they do not want to move it away all the time, right?

[@PercySmith-rg9lr]

@percy Usually the Starship launch will be for a refueling mission, so probably the Starship will not be back for catching until two orbits, (3 hours) unless the system is really good and they can transfer over 1000 tons of propellant in 30 minutes or so in space automatically. Incidentally a few tons could be saved on Starships by having only LOX transfers on some of the refuelers and Methane only transfers on other refuelers, using enlarged tanks rather than separate ones.

[@Spacenoodlesisgreat]

Let’s go!❤

[@moonasha]

the fact this might actually happen is insane. I fully expect a giant explosion or something along those lines. But if they actually pull it off, it'll be one of the greatest achievements in rocketry

[@aldunlop4622]

As Elon would say, "success is at least one of the potential outcomes".

[@mastafull]

I love seeing a new AA video notification! If I could make one suggestion, Tim, it's that a "CGI" banner on rendered scenes would help avoid confusion because they are so convincing. Long time space enthusiasts (like most of us here) know what's real and what's not but I think casual viewers could be confused seeing the booster get caught like it's already happened.

[@cube2fox]

Good point!

[@verigumetin4291]

Can't wait for Thunderf00t's balanced and fair live analyses of flight 5!

[@justinheitzman9188]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@arthulu61_yt84]

SpaceX, place a booey in the Indian Ocean and give us starship landing views.. and my life will be yours!

[@cube2fox]

Maybe they did so already the last times, only the ship so far never made it to the exact landing location!

[@unownyoutuber9049]

They probably have been doing that with the last couple launches. But IFT-3 never made it down, and IFT-4 was 6 Km's off from where it was expected.

[@arnavathawasya]

The new intro is SICK

[@SkulShurtugalTCG]

I fear no man. But that thing scares me.

[@Tom-ox7lb]

Already hyped for the lauch an sunday, the promised moon video and the spacewalks to come. Keep up your great work - it's a pleasure listening to you

[@lyricbread]

I’m calling bullshit on Bill Gerstenmaier’s claim of “half a centimeter” accuracy. I think it’s likely he misspoke.

[@Janiaje]

I agree, according to what I could find in google now, there are no satellite based positioning systems capable of going below centimeter accuracy 🤔

[@cube2fox]

Yeah. More likely he meant 0.5 meters. Which would still be unusually accurate.

[@saleplains]

the positioning system is not purely satellite based but also uses inertial measurement systems as well as potentially ground/water based systems but that said i do think its likely he meant half a metwer based purely on the fact that half a centimeter on the first landing attempt would be an insane improvement over f9s capabilities despite a much larger vehicle

[@Jack-vv7zb]

@@Janiaje differential gps could have been used as there were buoys positioned in the landing area

[@minmo2288]

@@cube2fox yeah considering the range of movement the chopsticks have half a meter accuracy would be pretty much good as perfect.

[@mp6756]

The catching a booster trick will be fun to watch. If this catch goes south, will the onboard flite termination explosives be detonated for safety rather than dealing with the explosives in the pile of scrap metal that once was the booster?

[@googleone5867]

It’s really hard to separate this cool tech from the politics Elon is currently pushing

[@TheMotorick]

Not for any sane person.

[@FlavaTheRipper]

Great video! thanks for this! Thanks for reminding me about the landing attempts of starship i forgot how exciting they were. I'm going to rewatch them now. I remember watching some of them live on my night shifts haha great times, feels long ago too.

[@YueYukii]

They never nail it on the first try, i wish they could but i think something especifically will go wrong then they will fix it for the 2nd try and succeed

[@michaelmicek]

My money's on the booster landing in the ocean this time, yeah.

[@goldenfloof5469]

They didn't expect flight 4 to go as well as it did, so they bumped up the catch attempt from flight 6 to flight 5. While the likelihood of it aborting into the ocean is certainly there, you never know how it'll go.

[@Zerostar369]

I always thought the idea of landing the super heavy on the chopsticks was crazy but I never considered how accurate SpaceX is with landing Falcon 9 on the landing pad. Given the fact that they have even more control over super heavy than they do with the Falcon 9 booster it now seems very reasonable that they will succeed. 1st attempt its always a 50-50 chance but whatever the outcome I have confidence they will nail it on attempt #2. THANK YOU ELON AND SPACEX and of course EverydayAtronaut for your passion.

[@corycrandell2682]

This may not work perfectly the first time. But i believe they will Crack this Nutt eventually. SpaceX has no fear. But who knows? Maybe this works the first time? We'll see.

[@AngryHoplite]

Ground News is amazing! First sponsored App ive seen, that is actually useful.

[@jadam42]

Elon needs to get out of politics and put that time and energy back into SpaceX where he knows what he’s talking about and is making a real difference.

[@Bramon83]

planning on leaving DFW tomorrow..... hope to see this. a truly epic moment to witness.

[@Jason-gq8fo]

I think Elon could do with ground news to make him stop being crazy. So hyped for this test flight though!

[@snuffeldjuret]

he isnt crazy

[@Pranav_Bhamidipati]

Instead of labelling somebody crazy, you need to understand who exactly populism appeals to and why. There is a ton of knowledge on this in socio-political psychology. It primarily stems from alienization and dismissal of legitimate concerns as craziness, exactly as you are doing right now.

[@Jason-gq8fo]

@@snuffeldjuret on everything except space he is

[@snuffeldjuret]

@@Jason-gq8fo no you just disagree

[@BBBrasil]

Excitement guaranteed

[@NorthWoodsDiver]

Two years ago I would have watched all of this and been waiting to see the flight. Now I came only to say I cannot support SpaceX, Tesla, or any more companies affiliated with Elon. It sucks but is a small sacrifice to protest his behavior and I fear channels like this have to also call him out and stop coverage of his products to discourage future similar ridiculous behavior. I love space but I'd rather see us take care of the terrestrial issues first.

[@SpaceAdvocate]

You can support the company without liking the CEO. Many people shop at Amazon even if they don't like Bezos.

[@giddy9052]

Thanks for all your efforts in keeping us all up to date. You're my go to guy for space info!

[@chrisdock8804]

Tim I know you stay out of politics to preserve your access, but tbh a lot of us space x are disappointed to say the least in Elon's turn towards fascism. It would be great if you could address the topic in some way.

[@NIX_lost]

Define fascism

[@SofieBrink]

@@NIX_lostyour request to have it explained to you already makes it clear that there is very likely no point to as it indicates a fundamental disagreement. It’s probably for the best to leave this discussion at that before its even begun

[@jakebrowndrift]

F O H WITH THAT NEGATIVE BULLSHIT. Do your thing tim. But foreal you are very dumb @chrisdock8804

[@shuaige3360]

I think they will nail it

[@AfricanMilkTree]

The arms seem flawed. Why not a hexagon that can expand or close like a toy ball? A big hexagon it lands within and the ring closes providing more landing points. It also could have more than the side of a tower holding it

[@Cosmo_Sim]

If so, the booster would need to come in directly from above and cant kind of “shuffle” in from the side, making it a bit harder to do

[@cube2fox]

Hard to understand. A hexagon and a toy ball a very different things. A hexagon is flat and pointy, a ball is round and smooth.

[@mrtriathlondude]

I think the straight arms allow a smaller angle between fully open and fully closed. That may allow the rocket to drift inward and self-center on the arms. However, if the rotational angle of the rocket is off, that could result in only the tower-side fins making contact and the opposite fin unsupported. I guess we'll see how it plays out 🤷‍♂️

[@minmo2288]

It would be way more difficult to actuate a opening and closing hexagon on a tower.

[@petersbayley]

Excellent content as usual, Tim. Many thanks :-)

[@Ship_30w]

Hi! Im s30😊

[@RogerEssigArtist]

I was shocked when I first heard about the catch system all those years ago. It's time!

[@Darkt0mb5]

Can this be done absolutely not are we ever going to colonize Mars absolutely freaking not

[@SirCavas]

"Absolutely not" -everyone when asked whether Falcon 9 could be reusable a decade ago (they were wrong)

[@Darkt0mb5]

@@SirCavas I'll tell you what come back to my comment in 10 years and I'll tell you you're still wrong

[@SpaceAdvocate]

@@Darkt0mb5 Chances are much greater we can come back to this comment on monday.

[@Darkt0mb5]

@@SpaceAdvocate be there or be square

[@goldenfloof5469]

You're pathetic, not further comment necessary.

[@juddphillips]

It’s going to be absolutely bonkers!!! I’m soo excited to see a catch attempt!!!

[@udobenliedivana]

Impossible? No. Stupid? Yes. They’ll bring back the landing legs, mark my words.

[@EverydayAstronaut]

I'm 50/50 on this, I'm not sure it's that out of the question, but I guess you might as well try!

[@-ragingpotato-937]

Landing legs or not they still need to hit a target, it does require increased accuracy but they've been very accurate with Falcon.

[@MarkWoodrow00]

I used to think the same. But it's not much difference to landing a rocket on a floating pad in the ocean. The accuracy of those F9 landings are amazing. Most losses are down to leg failures or wind/waves pushing them over.

[@anthonypelchat]

Not stupid to try. Maybe it works, maybe not. But to assume it won't without trying would stupid. Especially since it isn't critical for them to launch right now and the benefits of catching greatly outweigh the risk of failure.

[@meanderinoranges]

If you can hit a moving target (a drone ship) and be within a few feet of perfect, then a being within a few feet of perfect on a stationary target should be easier.

[@christianolsson8644]

Thank you for an amazing and very educational video! 😍 Didn't expect it as early as Sunday, wow can't wait! Let's go! 🚀🔥

[@chadf99]

Excitement guaranteed!

[@adamkenna7858]

Good luck to SpaceX, The entertainment value they give is almost as awesome as starship. Great breakdown as always, thanks Tim!

[@ithinkyouimagine5273]

The deluge being activated during catch likely has little to do with mitigating damage to the pad and more to do with fire suppression. In the highly probable scenario the booster is not caught, you can at least reduce the fireball.

[@TheEngineeringDutchman]

Can't wait for the launche!!!!

[@loganproksch9305]

The brand new intro is very slick, I love it

[@guppi277]

Haven't even gone 3mins into the vid. Just wanted to say, a vid from you, and i am at peace. And thanks heaps for pointing to Ryan Hanson's vid. Its like the professor pointing to additional research material.

[@jamesengland7461]

Excellent work as always, Tim!

[@richardedwards299]

Great summary and analysis, thx Tim

[@SteveAkaDarktimes]

I was waiting for a video from you, with Flight 5 coming up.

[@ReveredDead]

Deadass this is one of the biggest tests in aeronautical history. No rocket has even been physically captured intact in this manner. To be able to land falcon 9 boosters was a historical event. This right here if successful will eclipse that and anything like it.

[@TheLOUDERMAN]

As usual digging the music along with the rocket science. Keep it up Tim!

[@tracymason7393]

Tim, why doesn't the booster have more catch pins?

[@user-4in4nxDonaldRennie]

They are heavy and they only need two? The pins need to be strong enough to support the weight of the whole rocket, and the part of the outer-shell they are attached to, also needs to be reinforced, which adds more mass. Every extra ounce of rocket-mass, is one less ounce of payload.

[@tracymason7393]

@@user-4in4nxDonaldRennie they can't be that heavy, that's truly like a key and a keyhole

[@joeyzagari4155]

Well they are getting better, the last flight was a huge success with both vehicles landing and the launchpad working well. I think they could pull it off first attempt but I keep imagining some damage when the arms grab.

[@davidelang]

the superheavy can steer itself with it's chines and grid fins, so the decision to return to the tower or land in the water should be able to be delayed until not only after the boostback burn, but until after the hit staging ring separation. In fact, I'd bet that at the point that it starts the landing burn, it will still be aimed at the water

[@SassInYourClass]

As crazy as this feels conceptually, none of the important components of it are really that novel. The main thing is the accuracy of landing, which SpaceX has proven they can do well. The rest of it is building structures strong enough to deal with predictable loads. Everything is made of steel and it’s easy to test. That kind of stuff has been really well understood for a long time. I think it will be successful and our attention will quickly be drawn to Starship’s reentry again.