World first attempt planned

SpaceX is preparing to attempt a maneuver that has never been achieved in the history of orbital flight: capturing both stages of the Starship during the same test flight. This would mark a world first, as the company plans to recover the Super Heavy booster and the Starship stage with the mechanical arms of its launch tower during the fifteenth test flight of the program. The announcement was made by Elon Musk during a call dedicated to the company's quarterly results.

Starship's unprecedented design

The Starship, which stands taller than 122 meters, is the largest and most powerful launcher ever built. Unlike the partially reusable Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, both stages of the Starship are designed to fly, land, and take off almost immediately. The Super Heavy booster has already been captured successfully three times, but the Starship stage has never been subjected to this test.

Technical challenges of recovery

The challenge lies in the fact that the Starship returns from much higher and much faster than the booster, having traversed space and initiated atmospheric re-entry. This makes trajectory corrections more difficult. Despite this difficulty, Musk expresses confidence, estimating the success more likely than not on the first attempt. He has not given any specific date, simply mentioning an acceleration of the Starship flight schedule in the coming months.

Broader strategic goals

The race for full reuse is part of a broader strategy. During the previous flight, the Starship reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 Starlink Version 3 satellites, the first representatives of a future constellation that could include about 100,000 satellites. To power such a network, it is necessary to have launchers capable of flying continuously, without spending months in maintenance between missions.

Financial strength supports ambitions

These ambitions are supported by solid financial health. In the third quarter, SpaceX reports revenue of $14.6 billion, up 161 percent compared to the same period last year, with a net profit of $4.4 billion, compared to a loss recorded a year earlier. It remains to be seen whether the two arms of Starbase will be able to catch these two steel giants without a single flaw.