SpaceX will try catching Starship and its booster for first time, Musk confirms
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If successful, it would be the first time in history an orbital launch vehicle has been fully recovered.
Key facts
Because of the issue, SpaceX cut the planned 10-hour, 6-orbit mission short after about 3 hours and 2 Earth orbits
It stands approximately 120 meters (around 400 feet) tall with a 9-meter diameter, and is powered by SpaceX’s Raptor engines burning liquid methane and liquid oxygen
Starship is a two-stage system, composed of the Super Heavy booster (first stage) and the Starship spacecraft (second stage)
The Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage executed a de-orbit burn and ended with a fiery vertical splashdown in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii
Summary
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company would attempt to catch Starship and its booster next month, with the goal of recovering the entire orbital launch system for the first time. “This is a profound technology milestone in the history of civilization consciousness,” he said during the company’s third quarter earnings report Tuesday. But he also allowed for the possibility of a failure. “Success is not guaranteed on these first flights, but I’d say it’s more likely than not that this succeeds next flight.”