SpaceX Eyes First Chopsticks Catch on Starship Upper Stage
SpaceX is attempting its first catch of the Starship upper stage with tower arms after a booster splashdown on Flight 15.
TL;DR
- SpaceX launched Starship Flight 15 from Texas aiming for a double tower catch.
- The booster aborted its catch and splashed down; the Ship stayed on track for a Saturday attempt.
- Controllers will skip the catch if anything looks off during the first try on the upper stage.
SpaceX launched its 15th Starship test flight from South Texas on Friday. The plan was a double chopsticks catch: first the Super Heavy booster, then the upper stage Ship returning a day later.
The booster ran into a guidance issue during descent and aborted the tower catch. It splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico and exploded.
The Ship kept going. It reached orbit, released 26 Starlink V3 satellites, and spent roughly 22 hours circling Earth. Cameras on the ground and on those satellites checked the heat shield and gave it the green light for reentry.
SpaceX is now set to attempt the first-ever catch of the Ship itself around 4:20 p.m. ET on Saturday. The company has caught and reused Super Heavy boosters before, but never the upper stage.
“Starship’s going to stay in space. We are one step closer to an eventual return to launch site,”
What could happen
If anything looks off, controllers will skip the catch and send the Ship for a splashdown instead. The attempt is live on SpaceX’s site and X.
SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said they are “one step closer to an eventual return to launch site.”
The Tea
Pulling off a Ship catch would be a real shortcut to rapid reuse. Right now every orbital Starship still ends up in the water. Nail this and the whole fleet gets closer to flying like an airplane instead of a one-time firework.
Sources
- Engadget: Watch SpaceX attempt to catch the Starship upper stage for the first time
- Space.com: Watch SpaceX will attempt its 1st-ever ‘chopsticks’ Starship landing catch of a rocket from orbit today (livestream)
- The Hindu: SpaceX launches 15th Starship flight with hopes of achieving first round trip
Newsletter
Sunday Chai
The week's tech charcha in one email, every Sunday. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.