SpaceX Plans to Catch Starship with Mechazilla Tower for the First Time
Kiko Dontchev, responsible for launches at SpaceX, named November 13 as the preliminary date for the 15th Starship flight.
The company aims to capture both stages of the rocket using the launch tower's manipulators at the Starbase spaceport in Texas, though the final mission program has not yet been published.
The mission will use the Super Heavy B22 booster and the Ship 42 spacecraft. All 33 Raptor 3 engines on B22 underwent a static fire test. Six engines on Ship 42 were tested, and an additional one was separately tested with a simulated braking pulse before re-entry.
If the flight plan is approved, SpaceX will attempt to return both stages directly to the launch pad. Super Heavy has already been successfully caught by the Mechazilla tower's manipulators three times, whereas this will be the first such attempt for Starship.
During the flight, the spacecraft will re-enter the atmosphere, brake using its engines, align vertically, and enter the tower's manipulator capture. Successfully catching both stages will mark a significant milestone in the development of a fully reusable rocket system designed for repeated launches.
