SpaceX has explained how it intends to catch the upper stage of its Starship rocket. The catch method isn’t new — the company first executed it with Starship’s booster. Doing the same thing with the top half after it has made it to orbit is something else entirely.
The space company decided to share its plans in perhaps the most boring place ever — SpaceX’s Q3 Financial and Operations Results meeting. Which, of course, was live-streamed on Elon Musk’s X. The timeline and what the company intends to pull off were both explained.
SpaceX doubles up
Starship’s next launch will see the company attempting to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship itself. Said test is scheduled for as soon as November this year, which means we’re in for a spectacle either way. So far, the Starship itself has dropped down into oceans when it’s done working. The pieces have been salvaged and transported back to the States, even passing along South Africa’s coastline in recent tests.
Putting it down where it can be revamped and sent back into orbit is SpaceX’s first priority, since it’ll slash costs considerably for Super Heavy launches. Elon Musk said that pulling this off “will be the first time that an orbital launch vehicle has been fully recovered. The only way that we can extend consciousness beyond Earth on a sustained basis is with a fully reusable orbital launch vehicle. So this is, I think, a profound technology milestone in the history of civilization and consciousness.”
The ‘catch’ method is the same as seen with the Super Heavy booster. Starship will be guided between a set of mechanical arms (the ‘Chopsticks’) sticking out of a colossal tower (‘Mechazilla’). If it settles safely, the tower unit will transport both the booster and Starship into their hangars. After that, it’s in for a refit and another flight.
The catch test is far from certain. So far, SpaceX has caught three of its Super Heavy boosters and none of the Starship modules. Either it’ll touch down safely, or it’ll erupt into a massive ball of flame and flying bits of metal. Either way, it’ll be fun to watch. Failure just means that the company tries again. There are several opportunities into 2027 for Starshp to make it home in one piece.
