SpaceX launched the 15th Starship Integrated Flight Test (IFT-15) early this evening from Starbase, Texas. Plans to bring the first stage Booster back to the launch tower for a “catch” minutes after liftoff were scrubbed, but hopes remain high that there will be a catch tomorrow when the second stage, Starship, returns from orbit.
SpaceX’s Starship is designed to be fully reusable, with both the first stage Super Heavy (“Booster’) and the second stage Starship (“Ship”) flying into orbit, returning to Earth, and launching again and again and again. (Starship is the name of the second stage, but is often used to refer to the entire vehicle.)
IFT-14 in September was the first time Starship reached orbit. While everything didn’t go exactly as planned, it did achieve orbit and made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean where previous Starships on suborbital flights have splashed down.
SpaceX has caught Booster back at the launch tower three times, on IFT-5, IFT-7 and IFT-8, but they haven’t attempted it since. One of the goals today was to do just that, but something went awry. SpaceX hasn’t shared what happened, although they usually do pretty quickly. An “offshore divert” was used for the Booster to land in the Gulf instead.
Starship continued on to orbit where it will deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
The plan is for Starship to make 14 orbits of the Earth over about 22 hours, returning to Starbase tomorrow afternoon. SpaceX is taking everything a step at a time and there are multiple “gates” built in where they can decide to return early. If all goes according to plan, Starship will return to the launch tower at Starbase for a catch for the first time.
Each Booster and Starship is designated with a number. Today was Booster 22 and Starship 42 (S42). SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is an aficionado of Douglas Adams’ classic book Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which 42 is the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” The book’s catchphrase is “Don’t Panic,” which is inscribed on the side of this Starship.
Exactly when Starship IFT-15 will return depends on many factors. Keep up to date on X (@spacex).
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