SpaceX catches rocket, search for life near Jupiter begins
- by dw
- Oct 18, 2024
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SpaceX has achieved a new milestone in space exploration, having caught its own rocket booster as it landed back on Earth this week.
SpaceX's launch tower caught the rocket in 'chopsticks' as it performed a carefully calculated ‘landing burn' while slowly returning to Earth.
This latest achievement is a key step in SpaceX's goal to develop a reusable space launch system for its Starship space transport.
Elon Musk— who co-owns the private space company — posted on his social media platform X that "Hopefully early next year, we [SpaceX] will catch the ship too.”
SpaceX's reusable rocket tech could reduce 'space junk'
SpaceX's rocket-catching achievement is a step towards creating a reusable launch system, and reducing its contribution to space junk.
Currently, there are about 36,860 objects like 'dead' satellites and other man-made debris in orbit around planet Earth.
The biggest danger they pose are to the International Space Station and functional satellites, causing them to make collision avoidance maneuvers.
Experts also warn that space junk falling to Earth's surface could become a safety concern in the next decade. But the risks are low — you're 65,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to have a bit of space debris fall on your head.
SpaceX celebrates milestone in reusable rockets
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Eight-year long search for life near Jupiter gets underway
In other space-related news, NASA's Europa Clipper launched towards Jupiter's moon Europa on October 14, also aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket.
Europa Clipper is a space probe that is set to spend three years gathering data about Jupiter's Europa moon.
The probe will use its nine on-board instruments to gain detailed data as it performs over 50 ‘flybys' of the moon, beginning from 2031.
Europa is Jupiter's fourth biggest moon and sixth farthest from the planet.
Scientists expect the mission will confirm the existence of a large saltwater ocean beneath Europa's frozen surface, which may have the right chemical elements to support simple life.
Its closest flyby will bring it within 25km (16mi) of the moon's surface.
Jupiter is located an average of 480 million miles from our planet, but the Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles to reach its destination.
That's because it will gravity ‘assists' by slingshotting past Mars and Earth to enable it to reach incredible speeds in the vacuum of space to reach its destination.
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