SpaceX CEO says Starship could attempt tower catch with Flight 9

SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk said that the launch team could attempt to land the Starship on the launch site and attempt a catch via the Mechazilla tower with Flight 9 or the subsequent versions.

Today, SpaceX launched the sixth Starship flight from Boca Chica Starbase, Texas. The flight lifted off with 33 Raptor engines firing simultaneously.

The flight achieved maximum speed while reaching hot staging and sending the two stages in opposite directions. The first stage performed a boost back to return to Earth and the second stage fired its 6 Raptor engines to continue the journey to sub-orbit.

The first stage descended to Earth but failed to comply with the tower catch parameters. Therefore, it was deflected to the Gulf of Mexico for a splashdown.

In the meantime, the second stage completed the sub-orbital flight and reached the reentry point. However, this is where things get tricky as the ship starts to experience atmospheric heat.

Visuals showed this heat bleeding through the flaps as the ship made a way through descent toward the splash zone.

SpaceX uses custom-built heat shield tiles to reduce the heat impact generated by atmospheric pressure. It also has a secondary thermal layer underneath these tiles to protect the ship from being directly exposed to this heat.

The latest test was up to the mark and the rescheduled launch time has enabled us to view the ship’s successful landing in the Indian Ocean.

Catch Attempt

After this new splashdown, SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the launch tower. Musk explained that the heat shield reusability remains one of the biggest challenges.

SpaceX CEO also aims for propellant refill, instant launch without refurbishment or inspection. These are pretty big aims for the flight but the company must first overcome the stability challenges.

At the earliest, we may see SpaceX attempting a Starship tower catch in the first quarter of 2025 with Flight 9 or 10.