SpaceX to try catching both Starship stages on its next test flight
On the 15th test flight, no earlier than November 8, the launch tower is to catch both the booster and the upper stage. Musk called success "more likely than not".
Archive image · Photo: Steve Jurvetson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
SpaceX plans to catch both stages of its giant Starship rocket with the arms of a launch tower for the first time on its next test flight, Chief Executive Elon Musk said as the company presented its quarterly results. Flight 15 is slated for no earlier than November 8, according to Gizmodo. Musk said a successful catch "will be the first time that an orbital launch vehicle has been fully recovered," adding: "I'd say it's more likely than not that this succeeds next flight."
The Super Heavy booster has been caught three times so far, but a catch of the upper stage has never been attempted. It returns from orbit at a much higher speed than the booster, making the manoeuvre harder. A SpaceX simulation showed the upper stage falling horizontally, flipping upright with a short burn and descending between the arms of one of the two Mechazilla towers at Starbase.
The attempt requires the ship to complete its full orbital flight. On Flight 14 on September 28, the upper stage reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, according to Quartz, but engine failures ended the flight early, according to Gizmodo. If the attempt fails, Musk said SpaceX would keep flying Starship frequently through the end of the year and faster next year.