SpaceX eyes tower catch for Starship after successful ocean landing
SpaceX successfully completed its 13th full-scale Starship test flight, ending with a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, paving the way for a potential tower catch on the next mission.
SpaceX has successfully completed its 13th full-scale Starship test flight, achieving a controlled splashdown in a remote section of the Indian Ocean.
Encouraged by the successful flight and intact condition of the vehicle, the company plans to attempt to catch the Starship with its launch tower on the next mission, provided data reviews do not reveal any issues. This maneuver aims to facilitate rapid reusability and potentially multiple flights per day in the future. "Unless we discover problems after mission data review, SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower on next flight," stated founder and CEO Elon Musk.
The flight provided crucial data on the Starship's heat shield, which endured temperatures up to 2,600° Fahrenheit (1,430° Celsius) during reentry. The successful ocean landing offers an unprecedented opportunity for detailed inspection of the heat shield's performance and durability, a critical component for the program's ambitious reusability goals.
However, challenges remain with the recovery of the Super Heavy booster. The booster experienced issues with restarting engines for its landing burn, resulting in a hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. While SpaceX has previously recovered and reused boosters, this has not yet been achieved with the latest V3 version.