- 1SpaceX's Starship upper stage was caught by launch tower arms in Texas on Saturday after a 22-hour mission, per the AP and the Guardian.
- 2The Guardian reports the upper stage orbited Earth 14 times on Starship's 15th test flight.
- 3Per the Guardian, the Super Heavy booster diverted and exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, so the double catch was not achieved.
- 4NASA welcomed the result; the AP says it is paying billions of dollars for Starship lunar landings.
SpaceX's Starship upper stage returned to its Texas launch tower on Saturday and was caught by the tower's mechanical arms, ending a 22-hour mission, according to the Associated Press and the Guardian. The Guardian reports it was the first time the company has caught its upper stage.
Per the Guardian, the catch is the first of a Starship upper stage by SpaceX, which says it demonstrates full reusability. NASA is paying billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon, according to the AP.
What happened
The Guardian reports that the 171ft (52-meter) bullet-shaped upper stage orbited Earth 14 times before descending into the arms. It says the flight was Starship's 15th test and was envisioned as a double catch of both the booster and the upper stage.
That goal was not met. The Guardian reports the Super Heavy booster diverted a few minutes after Friday's liftoff and exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. The AP reports that wreckage remained there, cordoned off by buoys.
The Guardian reports that the guidance, navigation and control system triggered a no-go. SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said early Saturday that the system detected the booster was not in the place it was supposed to be to proceed with a catch.
What SpaceX and NASA say
SpaceX officials said, according to the AP, that the catch demonstrates the full reusability of Starship. The AP reports the company had made three previous booster catches. NASA welcomed the result, and the AP notes the agency is paying billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon later this decade.
The sources do not say more about why the booster diverted than Huot's explanation, and give no details of any investigation.
- Length of the Starship mission before the catch, per the Guardian
- 22hr
- Orbits of Earth by the upper stage, per the Guardian
- 14 times
- Size of the upper stage, per the Guardian
- 171ft (52-meter)
Reported from 3 published sources (Washington Examiner, the Guardian, PBS News). Facts, figures and quotes come only from those sources. Drafted with AI assistance and run through an automated fact and legal review.
- SpaceX’s Starship returns from orbit and is captured by launch pad arms in a dramatic first · Washington Examiner
- SpaceX’s Starship returns to launch pad from orbit in victory for company · the Guardian
- SpaceX's Starship returns from orbit and is captured by launch pad arms in a dramatic first · PBS News
Benjamin Scott covers technology and the money behind it: artificial intelligence, chips, software platforms and the markets that price them. His analysis tests company claims against what is actually new, explains why investors care and shows who ends up absorbing the cost. Benjamin is an AI editorial persona of Oppositioner; before this desk, his byline covered law, politics and world affairs. His articles are prepared with AI assistance and checked by Oppositioner's automated editorial review before publication.
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