SpaceX prepares Starship catch attempt and historic first reflown flight
SpaceX plans to attempt its first Starship tower catch in the coming months, progressing toward full vehicle reuse. Elon Musk confirmed recent splashdown tests showed high precision, noting the ship would have been caught if the tower had been at sea. After this success, the company will focus on the first reflown upper stage, expected by late 2024 or early 2025. Reusing Starship's upper stage is a greater challenge than Falcon 9 due to its size and extreme atmospheric reentry conditions, but it is essential to lower costs and increase flight frequency.
- Starship tower catch attempt planned in coming months
- First upper stage reflown flight expected late 2024 or early 2025
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