SpaceX Catches Starship Upper Stage After Orbital Flight Test

SpaceX’s Starship returned to Earth on Saturday and was caught in midair by giant mechanical arms at the launch tower where its journey began 22 hours earlier, according to the Associated Press. It was the first-ever capture of a Starship flying back from space.

Flight Details

The 15th full-scale Starship flight since 2023, designated IFT-15, lifted off at 5:47 pm ET on November 13 from Starbase, Texas, according to SpacePolicyOnline.com. It was only the second time SpaceX attempted to put Starship into orbit. The spacecraft completed 14 laps around Earth and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites.

The upper stage, Starship 42 (S42), was caught at the launch tower by arms dubbed Mechazilla or “chopsticks.” SpaceX reported that everything on the spacecraft, including its vital heat shield, appeared to work well.

Booster Recovery

The first-stage booster, Booster 22, did not return to the launch tower. Its guidance, navigation and control system determined it was not in the correct position and automatically diverted it to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX is still investigating the root cause.

SpaceX had previously caught three Super Heavy Boosters on flights IFT-5, IFT-7 and IFT-8, but this was the first attempt to catch the second stage after an orbital mission.

NASA Context

NASA is paying billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon later this decade and help build a permanent lunar base. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on today’s success, according to SpacePolicyOnline.com.

NASA’s Artemis III mission will test rendezvous and docking between the Orion capsule and Starship, and will also test rendezvous and docking with Blue Origin’s HLS, Blue Moon MK2. NASA is targeting as soon as 2028 for Artemis IV.

Why it matters

• The catch demonstrates progress toward full reusability of Starship, intended for moon and Mars travel.
• This was the first capture of the Starship upper stage after an orbital mission.
• The booster recovery failed, and engineers are still investigating the cause.
• NASA is targeting as soon as 2028 for Artemis IV.

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Sources

• npr.org: SpaceX successfully catches Starship and makes history : NPR
• apnews.com: SpaceX catches its Starship rocket on return from orbit for the first time | AP News
• spacepolicyonline.com: SpaceX Catches a Starship – SpacePolicyOnline.com

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.