SpaceX plans first catch attempt for Starship and Super Heavy
If it works, SpaceX would recover the full orbital launch stack for the first time, but Musk says the result is still uncertain.
SpaceX says it will try to catch both Starship and its Super Heavy booster on the next flight, a step that would let the company recover the full orbital launch stack for the first time. Elon Musk said the attempt is planned for next month and would be an historic first if it works. He also said the result is not assured, but he expects the odds to improve with repeated flight attempts through the rest of this year and into next year. The announcement came after a recent Starship mission that reached orbit and deployed V3 Starlink satellites, but still ended with both stages lost at sea.
Why it matters
A successful catch would change Starship from a one-off launch system into one SpaceX could bring back and use again. That matters because the company is now trying to turn a mission that can already reach orbit into one that can also return both stages intact, after a recent flight still ended with both stages lost. The next attempts will show whether that shift is within reach this year or needs more launches and a faster cadence later.
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Sources
- The Verge