For Richard Gallagher, a tenacious photographer from Merritt Island, Florida, the pursuit of documenting rocket launches has always been more than just a hobby—it’s a calling. So, when SpaceX announced that their fifth integrated test flight (IFT-5) would attempt the first-ever catch of the Super Heavy Booster, Richard knew this was a moment in history he had to capture. The only problem? The launch site was nearly 1400 miles away, and the drive there would be anything but easy.
The Road to Starbase
As a seasoned photographer with a passion for spaceflight, Richard had documented countless launches from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. But this launch, on the far side of the country at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, would require more than a quick trip down the road.
Hurricane Milton had just swelled into a category 5 hurricane and hurricane Helene had just pommeled the pan handle of Florida and many other states in its path, scattering road debris, turning trees into tinder and washing out highways. Hurricane Milton was now battering Merrit Island and most of Florida with wind, rain and tornados and leaving millions in the dark with no power. As much as he wanted to be on the road before this storm, there was no way he could leave his wife and dog alone at home. When the storm finally passed Thursday, 3 days before the Sunday launch attempt, he jumped into storm clean up mode. Richard states, “I was alternating trips to the curb with armfuls of down branches and trips to the car with camera gear and luggage. It was still impossible to dodge the still lingering heavy rain and wind. So, when I was finished, I started the first leg of my journey still wet and tired from the storm cleanup.” This trip was going to be an endurance test. “It wasn’t just a journey to Texas,” Richard recalls, “it was a battle from the moment I left Merritt Island. Every mile felt like a test of my will power.” Construction delays added hours to an already exhausting drive, as Richard navigated closed roads and detours, hurricane relief convoys and car accidents that pushed his patience to the limit.
Against All Odds
Despite exhaustion and a growing sense of doubt, Richard pressed on. “Missing this launch wasn’t an option,” he says. October 13, 2024, had been etched into his mind. He would make it there thriving on caffeine and adrenaline. This wasn’t just another rocket launch—it was science fiction about to become science fact! The first mid-air capture of SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster by their iconic Mechazilla “chopstick” arms. The first day of driving was 9 hours to Mobile, Alabama. The next day would be a 14-hour drive to arrive at Starbase in Boca Chica just before sunset.
Arriving in Boca Chica after a grueling journey, Richard was met with new challenges overnight as he took images of Starship under the stars. The launch site’s proximity to the Texas coast meant battling not just exhaustion but also the relentless Gulf humidity, condensation forming on lens and the infamous Texas-sized mosquitoes and fire ants. Setting up his equipment and tent, at nearby Raptor Roost, a fish camp on the Rio Grande now converted to host rocket enthusiast, it would be the closest and best spot to watch SpaceX launch their super-sized rocket.
“I found the perfect spot right outside the danger zone and sheriffs’ barricades, where I knew I’d have the best shot of both the liftoff and the potential catch of the booster. But the bugs and fatigue were getting to me,” he says. Richard admits there were moments when he wondered if it was all worth it. “But then, as I looked at the monster rocket on the launchpad, I knew—I was going to stay.”
Capturing History
The Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, granted SpaceX the launch license Saturday afternoon, just hours before the 8am Sunday launch window. Richard and many other launch photographers were busy setting up remote cameras, cameras triggered by sound to capture the launch from locations too dangerous to physical be at, but news of getting this license brough cheers and high fives from the excited press pool as it was the finial requirement before a launch attempt was a “GO”. At exactly 8:25 AM EDT, the 33 Raptor rocket engines of Super Heavy Booster ignited, sending the rocket into the sky. For Richard, the next few minutes were a blur of rapid camera shutters and adrenaline. “As the booster lifted off, everything else faded away,” he says. “I was just focused on getting a sharp shot.” The launch was thunderous and flawless! For nearly 4 minutes Starship climbed higher and higher into the morning sky. Next was stage separation. Starship performs “hot-staging” meaning it fires the second stage engines while the first stage is still running. This produces a dramatic ring of fire as the second stage engine thrust is vented through the hot stage ring atop super heavy boost. As the second stage, Starship, propelled itself further away, the super heavy booster performs a boost-back burn and sets up to fall back to the launch site. “We were all euphoric with excitement as we heard from SpaceX’s live stream “go for return to tower!” says Richard.
“For the next several minutes we all watch this 23-story skyscraper fall like a lawn dart at super-sonic speeds towards the launch tower from which it just launched from!” Richard exclaims with excitement. And then it happened: the booster fired 13 of its 33 Raptor engines to slow it down below super-sonics speeds and then with just 3 Raptor engines gimbling side to side to precisely steer the rocket effortlessly between Mechazilla’s chopstick arms, and then for the first time in history, the Super Heavy booster was caught mid-air, an edifying moment for SpaceX’s vision of reusability. “I knew I had the shot. I must have taken 300! It was the moment I had traveled all this way for,” Richard recounts with pride. “It was awesome!” he exclaims.
A Photographer’s Legacy
The images Richard captured that day were more than just photographs—they were private trophies for his perseverance, passion, and refusal to give up, no matter the obstacles in his path. “But it wasn’t just about taking pictures and witnessing history; it was about being able to record that moment for others and to tell the story. It’s also to show the world what’s possible when a person like Elon Musk refuses to give up,” he reflects. “This is what makes Elon Musk so remarkable, he makes the impossible possible, just late, as Elon says, “I say something, and then it usually happens… just not on time”. Elon Musk created SpaceX to make humanity multiplanetary and IFT-5’s successful booster catch is another step towards getting to Mars.
A brief timeline of historic SpaceX firsts:
- 2002: SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in
- 2008: First Privately Developed Liquid-Fueled Rocket in Orbit
- 2010: First Privately Developed Spacecraft to Orbit and Return
- 2012: First Commercial Company to Dock with the ISS
- 2015: First Rocket Landing on Solid Ground
- 2016: First Rocket Landing on a Drone Ship
- 2017: First Reflight of an Orbital-Class Rocket
- 2018: First Private Mission to Lunar Orbit
- 2020: First Crewed Mission by a Private Company
- 2021: First All-Civilian Mission to Orbit
- 2023: First Orbital Flight of Starship
- 2024: First Super Heavy Booster Catch
Back home in Merritt Island, Florida, as Richard sifts through the countless photos from that day, he’s reminded of the lengths he went to for that one perfect shot. “Every challenge, every hurdle—it was all worth it. In the end, I got the shot, I got to witness history and now I get to tell the story, just late” he says with a smile.
