SpaceX Plans Next Starship Launch This Month, Aims for In-Air Catch

SpaceX is preparing for its next Starship flight test, potentially as soon as this month, with ambitious goals including launching the first upgraded Starlink satellites and attempting a novel land recovery of the rocket's upper stage. This marks a significant advancement from the previous test flight in July, which showed improved landing capabilities over the Indian Ocean.

“

Assuming we receive regulatory approval to do so, we'll attempt to catch the ship with the tower on the next flight, which is tentatively scheduled for the end of this month

CEO Elon Musk stated on the company's first earnings call that recovering the Starship upper stage, the core "ship" component, by landing it is vital for SpaceX's objective of creating the world's first fully reusable orbital launch system. This capability is intended to dramatically expand the company's Starlink broadband network and is also of keen interest to NASA, which plans to utilize the rocket for lunar missions.

“

increase rapidly

Musk indicated that the exact timing of the 14th Starship launch hinges on regulatory approval. If granted, SpaceX plans to "catch" the upper stage using large mechanical arms attached to the launch tower in Texas. This method has already been used successfully to recover the rocket's Super Heavy booster multiple times. The company envisions a future where these arms catch both stages sequentially, enabling a flight rate of potentially more than one per day within a year.

“

expected to deliver 10 times the amount of broadband capacity and data density from our current generations

The upcoming flight will also deploy the first batch of V3 Starlink satellites. Musk emphasized that these new satellites are expected to deliver ten times the broadband capacity and data density of current generations. SpaceX's long-term vision includes launching dozens of Starship missions carrying these advanced satellites, aiming for 60 V3 satellites per launch. This focus on Starlink, coupled with rising demand for space access, is increasingly dominating SpaceX's launch services, shifting the balance from external customers to its own satellite constellation.

“

Probably a year from now, we will be doing at least one flight a day, possibly more