On a Friday over the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX attempted something that had never been done: to recover both halves of a single orbital rocket, catching each one by the arms of the launch tower at Starbase, Texas. The booster, having aborted after its guidance system faltered, was destroyed offshore, and the dream of a double catch was broken in half. Meanwhile the upper stage, carrying 26 Starlink satellites, reached orbit and began its long quiet circuit of the Earth, still bound for its own uncertain return. What remains is a question held open until Saturday afternoon, when the second half ei
SpaceX Attempts Starship Upper Stage Catch After Booster Explodes in Double-Catch Test
Half of that plan fell apart over the Gulf of Mexico.
Mark
So what was this test actually trying to prove?
Mimi
That both stages of Starship can come back. The booster would be caught by the Mechazilla tower, and the upper stage would orbit, then return for its own catch. Nobody had recovered a full orbital system before this.
Mark
And the booster didn't make it.
Mimi
It aborted itself. Dan Huot said a guidance, navigation and control issue was detected late in the coast, and the booster went to its contingency landing offshore, which meant being destroyed over the Gulf of Mexico.
Luke
I'd flag that the cause is only described at that level. We have a spokesperson saying a GNC issue, relayed through Space.com. What exactly failed isn't in the reporting.
Mark
The article calls the explosion a plan B. Was it a failure or a safeguard working?
Mimi
Both, really. The booster did what it was designed to do when it detected a problem, keeping away from the tower. But the catch itself did not happen.
Luke
Right, and the safeguard framing comes from the article's reading of the contingency. SpaceX's own words were that it went into a contingency landing offshore.
Mark
What about the upper stage?
Mimi
The 26 Starlink satellites deployed, and it completed 14 orbits, the second successful orbit for Starship. Huot said the heat shield looks good for reentry.
Luke
That heat shield assessment is SpaceX's own, based on its camera data. It's encouraging, but reentry is where it gets tested. The catch is expected around 4:20 p.m. EST, and the article itself says it's by no means certain.
Mark
And if it's called off?
Mimi
Then a splashdown, possibly like the September flight off Hawaii, or an abort at the last minute after heading toward Texas.
El Pulso
- The booster aborted after its guidance, navigation and control system flagged a fault, and it was destroyed over the Gulf of Mexico before the tower could catch it.
- Onlookers filmed the explosion and posted it online, turning a technical contingency into a public spectacle.
- Upper stage deployed all 26 Starlink satellites and began 14 orbits, its second successful orbit ever.
- Heat shield data from ground and satellite cameras looks sound, and engineers are steering the stage toward a catch around 4:20 p.m. EST Saturday.
- If the catch is called off, the vehicle could splash down like the first orbital test did off Hawaii, or fall into the water at the last moment.
On a Friday over the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX attempted something that had never been done: to recover both halves of a single orbital rocket, catching each one by the arms of the launch tower at Starbase, Texas. The booster, having aborted after its guidance system faltered, was destroyed offshore, and the dream of a double catch was broken in half. Meanwhile the upper stage, carrying 26 Starlink satellites, reached orbit and began its long quiet circuit of the Earth, still bound for its own uncertain return. What remains is a question held open until Saturday afternoon, when the second half either settles into the waiting arms of the tower or falls, as the first orbital test once did, into the sea.
The plan for SpaceX's latest Starship flight was to do something no one had done before: bring back both halves of an orbital rocket, caught out of the air by the launch tower at Starbase, Texas. Half of that plan fell apart over the Gulf of Mexico, and the other half was still in the air when the reporting was done.
The mission was a carefully ordered sequence. A Super Heavy booster and an upper stage carrying 26 Starlink satellites would launch together. The booster would return to be caught by the tower, nicknamed Mechazilla. The upper stage would release its payload, circle the Earth, and then come home for its own catch. No one had ever recovered a complete orbital launch system, and that was the prize.
The booster did not make it. Its guidance, navigation and control system flagged a problem late in the coast, and it aborted into a contingency landing offshore, well away from the tower. It was intentionally destroyed above the Gulf, and onlookers filmed the blast and shared it online.
In space, the flight went better. All 26 Starlink satellites deployed, and the upper stage settled into fourteen orbits, the second successful orbit for Starship.
Whether that stage can be caught is still unsettled, though the signs are hopeful. Engineers reviewed ground and satellite camera data and found the heat shield in good shape for reentry. If all goes to plan, the stage is expected back at the Starbase tower around 4:20 p.m. EST Saturday.
Two fallbacks remain. The first orbital test in September ended in an early splashdown off Hawaii, and that could happen again. Or the vehicle could head for Texas and abort at the last minute, landing in the water as its booster did. Either way, a successful catch would be a first, and a satisfying one. The Saturday livestreams will show whether this flight yields a single recovered stage or the full double catch still waiting to happen.
The plan for SpaceX's latest Starship flight was to do something no one had done before: bring back both halves of an orbital rocket, caught out of the air by the launch tower at Starbase, Texas. Half of that plan fell apart over the Gulf of Mexico. The other half is still in the air, or was at the time of reporting.
The mission was laid out as a sequence. A Starship, made up of a Super Heavy booster and an upper stage carrying 26 Starlink satellites, would launch. The booster would return and be caught by the "Mechazilla" tower. The upper stage would release its payload, orbit the Earth for a while, and then come back for its own catch. Before Friday, no one had recovered a complete orbital launch system, which would mean both stages could be reused.
The booster did not make it. According to SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot, as relayed by Space.com, the catch was at one point on track. But in the later stages of the coast, the booster aborted itself after detecting a problem with its guidance, navigation and control system, and that put it into a contingency landing offshore. In practice, that meant the booster kept well away from the tower and was intentionally destroyed just above the Gulf of Mexico. Onlookers captured the explosion and posted it on social media.
In space, the mission went better. The 26 Starlink satellites were deployed successfully, and the upper stage moved into the quietest part of its flight: 14 orbits around the Earth. That marks the second successful orbit for Starship.
Whether the upper stage can be caught is far from settled, though early signs are encouraging. Huot said the heat shield team reviewed data from ground tracking cameras and from satellite cameras, and confirmed that the heat shield is in good shape for reentry and a return to the launch site. If reentry goes as planned, the upper stage is expected back at the Mechazilla tower in Starbase to be caught 22 hours, 32 minutes and 34 seconds into the mission, around 4:20 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Two more layers of contingency stand between the vehicle and a catch. The first orbital Starship test, in September, ended with an early splashdown just off the coast of Hawaii, and that could happen again if the catch is called off. The spacecraft might instead proceed toward Texas, and if the catch is aborted at the last minute, it could end up in the water the way its booster did.
If the catch is attempted at all, it will be a first, and a successful one would be a more satisfying first. YouTube livestreams are scheduled for Saturday afternoon, including one from Space.com's channel, VideoFromSpace. The afternoon's outcome will show whether this flight yields a single recovered stage or the full double catch still waiting to happen.
Citas Notables
In the later stages of the coast, the booster aborted itself for a GNC issue that it detected, and that put it into its contingency landing offshore.— Dan Huot, SpaceX spokesperson, via Space.com
The heat shield team confirmed the heat shield is in a good posture for reentry and return to the launch site.— Dan Huot, SpaceX spokesperson, via Space.com (paraphrased)
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