SpaceX catches a Starship upper stage
Published
SpaceX caught a Starship upper stage on Saturday for the first time. According to Payload, the tower's chopstick arms caught Ship 42 at Starbase, Texas, at 4:20 pm ET.
Flight 15 lifted off on Friday evening and completed 14 orbits. Payload says the ship deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, and SpaceX reports contact with every one of them. Ship 42 then relit a Raptor to leave orbit, flew back over the Gulf and landed in the tower's arms.
The booster did not make it back. Its guidance system triggered an automatic abort, and its flight termination system was triggered offshore. SpaceX says it is still investigating the cause, so there was no double catch.
Why it matters: a ship that comes back intact could in theory fly again. On its earnings call, SpaceX said it aims to refly the second stage by early next year. That is a company goal, not a schedule.
Easy question: would you be happy to ride a rocket that has already flown once?
Sources: Payload