SpaceX Will Try to Catch Both Halves of Starship on Friday, a First in Rocketry

SpaceX is preparing to try something no rocket company has ever pulled off: plucking both stages of an orbital rocket out of the sky with the same giant tower that launched them. The company is targeting Friday, Nov. 13, for the 15th flight of its Starship megarocket, with a 75-minute launch window opening at 5:45 p.m. Eastern from its Starbase site in South Texas, Space.com reported ^[1]. SpaceX has described the mission as a possible "first full recovery of an orbital launch system," according to Space.com ^[1].

If it works, it will be a landmark for American engineering. The tower's mechanical arms, nicknamed chopsticks, have caught the Super Heavy booster on three earlier flights, but the Starship upper stage, known simply as Ship, has never been caught ^[1].

A Catch Never Tried Before

Under the flight plan, the Super Heavy booster will fly back to Starbase and be grabbed by the tower about six and a half minutes after liftoff, Space.com reported ^[1]. It would be the first catch attempt for SpaceX's newest version 3 booster, Nature World News noted ^[5]. Each of the two catch towers at Starbase rises 480 feet, Gizmodo reported ^[2].

The Ship, meanwhile, is set to circle Earth about 14 times at roughly 171 miles up over more than 22 hours, releasing 26 new Starlink V3 internet satellites along the way ^[1]. By Nature World News' calculation, the Ship's catch would come about 22.5 hours after liftoff, or around 4:17 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Nov. 14 ^[5].

The hardware appears ready. Booster 22 fired all 33 of its Raptor engines on Oct. 25, and Ship 42, which rehearsed its catch with the tower's arms in September, ran its six engines for 60 seconds two days later, Teslarati reported ^[4].

One item remains: the government's permission. The Daily Galaxy reported this week that the Federal Aviation Administration had not yet posted a launch license for the flight ^[3]. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in October that, after extensive and productive talks with the agency, she expected the license to cover tower catches for both stages, according to Teslarati ^[4].

Why the Ship Is the Hard Part

The booster climbs only a few dozen miles, while the Ship reaches about 17,500 miles per hour and must shed that enormous energy as it plunges back through the atmosphere, shielded by thousands of hexagonal heat-shield tiles, The Daily Galaxy explained ^[3]. Controllers must also nurse it through a coast of roughly 21 hours before the final landing burn ^[3].

To help judge whether the Ship is fit to come home, three modified Starlink satellites released from it are expected to photograph its heat shield ^[3]. On final approach, the engines step down from three to one for a near-hover, and the tower's arms must close on fittings beneath the forward flaps with no second chance ^[3]. The return path crosses northern Mexico and South Texas, and Cameron County residents may hear sonic booms ^[3].

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SpaceX has built in off-ramps. The Ship will head for land only if controllers confirm it is healthy; otherwise it can come down over set ocean areas, and the booster can be steered away from the tower, Nature World News reported ^[5]. Elon Musk, speaking on the company's third-quarter earnings call, rated the odds of a successful Ship catch "more likely than not," Teslarati reported ^[4].

The last flight showed both progress and the work ahead. On Sept. 28, Flight 14 became the first Starship to reach orbit ^[1], but an engine problem during the climb led SpaceX to cut the mission short, with the Ship splashing down in the Pacific about three hours after launch, Gizmodo reported ^[2].

What It Means for America's Return to the Moon

Recovering both stages intact and flying them again quickly could lower launch costs and raise flight rates, Gizmodo noted, and Musk said in October that a fully reusable orbital rocket is essential to a lasting human presence beyond Earth ^[2].

Starship is also one of the two commercial landers NASA is counting on to put Americans back on the Moon ^[5][6]. Under the agency's accelerated plan, Artemis III will carry four astronauts aboard Orion on a planned 14-day mission in Earth orbit in 2027, docking with test versions of Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander and Starship, NASA said ^[6]. The landing is slated for Artemis IV in 2028, with Starship refueling in Earth orbit as part of that plan ^[6]. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency is "not waiting for others to bring their plans to us" as strategic competitors pursue a permanent presence beyond Earth ^[6].

Not everyone is ready to declare victory in advance. Nature World News pointed out that SpaceX has not released per-flight cost figures, that one successful catch would not prove routine reuse, and that bringing the Ship back over land near coastal wildlife habitat raises environmental questions ^[5].

Still, there is something deeply American about engineers choosing the hard path because it leads somewhere worth going. For believers, a rocket climbing into the Texas dusk is also a reminder that the heavens declare the glory of God, and that the curiosity to explore them is itself a gift. SpaceX plans to begin its webcast about 30 minutes before liftoff, Nature World News reported ^[5].