SpaceX to Attempt First Double Starship Catch
SpaceX will try to recover both Starship stages in one flight, a first for orbital rockets.
Key facts
- SpaceX will attempt to catch both the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft during its next test flight, targeted for next month, according to The Verge.
- If successful, it would be the first time an orbital launch vehicle has been fully recovered, according to both The Verge and Space.com.
- Starship is a 120‑meter tall, two‑stage system powered by Raptor engines burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen, according to The Verge.
- SpaceX has performed 14 test flights of Starship and has successfully caught the Super Heavy booster with its “chopstick” arms on three of those flights, according to Space.com.
- The company has not yet attempted to catch the Starship upper stage, according to Space.com.
SpaceX will try to catch both stages of its Starship rocket during the next test flight, targeted for next month, according to The Verge. The company said the goal is to recover the entire orbital launch system for the first time, according to Space.com.
Elon Musk said success is not guaranteed on these first flights, but he believes it is more likely than not that the attempt will succeed, according to The Verge. He added that if it fails, the company will continue flight attempts through the end of the year, according to Space.com.
Starship is a two‑stage system composed of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. It stands about 120 meters tall with a 9‑meter diameter and is powered by Raptor engines that burn liquid methane and liquid oxygen, according to The Verge.
The recovery strategy uses launch‑tower “chopstick” arms to catch each vehicle mid‑air. SpaceX has caught the Super Heavy booster on three previous flights, but has not yet caught the Starship upper stage, according to Space.com.
SpaceX aims to launch Starship more than 10,000 times per year by 2030, according to Space.com. The company believes a fully reusable orbital launch vehicle is essential for sustained space exploration, according to Musk.
Context
SpaceX is developing a fully reusable launch system that it says could make Mars settlement and other grand exploration feats economically feasible. The Starship rocket is the company’s largest vehicle, standing 120 meters tall and designed to return to the launch site for rapid refurbishment.
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