SpaceX Aborts Starship/Booster ‘Double Chopsticks’ Recovery

Update (1800ET): Unfortunately, SpaceX’s attempt for a Starship double catch was thwarted this evening.

A few minutes after launch, the company canceled plans to retrieve the booster of its powerful Starship rocket, citing a technical issue, sending the so-called Super Heavy into the Gulf of Mexico, where it promptly exploded.

SpaceX had previously said it would only proceed with the maneuvers if conditions were optimal.

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A 75-minute launch window for Starship’s 15th test flight from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas opens at 5:45 p.m. EST. 

SpaceX wrote on its website that this evening’s mission plans to deploy 26 next-generation Starlink satellites and bring both stages back of the rocket back to the launch tower for giant “chopsticks” to catch. 

“The upcoming flight is planned to be the first to return both Starship and Super Heavy to the launch site for catch. If successful, this will mark the first full recovery of an orbital launch system and a breakthrough moment in making Starship a reliable, rapidly reusable rocket,” SpaceX wrote on its website.

The upper stage is expected to spend 22 hours in space, completing around 14 orbits at an altitude of about 171 miles before attempting its first return and tower catch at Starbase. 

The company has already caught three Super Heavy boosters using giant chopstick arms. Flight 15 would mark the first catch attempt for the larger V3 booster, alongside the first-ever catch attempt for the Starship upper stage.

However, the upper-stage catch is conditional: SpaceX says controllers will authorize the return to the launch tower after confirming the spacecraft is operating as expected. 

A successful double catch would mark a significant technical milestone toward reusability, potentially lowering launch costs and helping Elon Musk further his ambitions of data centers in low Earth orbit a reality in the coming years, beyond the reach of Democrats on the ground who are preparing to launch nationwide moratoriums on projects. 

Last month, Musk debuted the Tesla Roadster that was able to do thruster-assisted barrel rolls in the air and clear obstacles and vehicles. 

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