Watch SpaceX attempt to catch the Starship upper stage for the first time
While the company has pulled off this trick a few times with Super Heavy boosters, it'll be a first for the Ship.
SpaceX is set to attempt a historic feat during its 15th test flight of the Starship, marking the first-ever double catch. The ambition behind this mission is straightforward: the Super Heavy V3 booster will return to the launch site and be caught by the tower's chopstick arms, while the upper stage, dubbed the Ship, is to replicate the maneuver a day later.
Although SpaceX has successfully captured and re-flown V1 Super Heavy boosters multiple times, this is the company's first attempt at the Ship. As of Friday afternoon, Starship has been orbiting Earth, and it is slated to attempt its landing after 4PM ET on Saturday. The mission has been livestreamed on SpaceX's website and X. While the first stage performed well, completing the deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites, it encountered an issue on its return and aborted the catch attempt, instead opting to splash down in the Gulf and explode upon impact with the water.
Meanwhile, the Ship continues its orbital journey, circling Earth for about 22 hours since its launch before it too descends back to the surface.
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