SpaceX Calls Off Booster Catch Attempt Mid-Flight, Citing Safety Concerns

Shortly aft launching its Starship rocket for the sixth time, SpaceX opted retired of performing a booster catch, letting the rocket’s archetypal signifier dive into the water instead. It’s not the effect the institution was hoping for, but information from the formation volition undoubtedly pass aboriginal attempts.

Starship lifted disconnected connected Tuesday astatine 5 p.m. ET from SpaceX’s Starbase installation successful Boca Chica, Texas for its sixth integrated trial flight. The suborbital motorboat was expected to see the Super Heavy booster being caught by the monolithic Mechazilla operation aft reentry, but SpaceX declared it a no-go for the booster drawback astir 4 minutes aft liftoff.

Starship soon aft motorboat connected November 19, 2024. Photo: C&J Images

“A batch of things request to spell good for that to enactment up,” a SpaceX spokesperson explained during the unrecorded broadcast. Instead, the booster had to execute a brushed soggy landing disconnected the seashore successful Texas due to the fact that not each criteria for a drawback were met, SpaceX added. The institution cited information concerns for the team, the public, and the motorboat pad itself arsenic the crushed wherefore SpaceX skipped the booster drawback attempt, according to the broadcast.

Super Heavy initiates its landing pain and softly splashes down successful the Gulf of Mexico pic.twitter.com/BZ3Az4GssC

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024

The booster’s splashdown was inactive awesome to watch, arsenic the monolithic rocket slowed down connected its mode to the aboveground of the h2o earlier mildly diving successful similar a humpback whale aft a afloat breach. On its mode down, the booster lit up 13 of its engines earlier paring down to lone 3 engines close earlier splashdown, which took spot astir 7 minutes aft launch.

Starship is connected its mode down now, picking up speed. pic.twitter.com/DB1EJyKrfu

— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) November 19, 2024

Starship’s sixth trial formation did see immoderate different milestones, including the re-lighting of 1 of the rocket’s six Raptor engines successful abstraction for the archetypal time. The rocket besides carried its archetypal payload, a stuffed artifact successful the signifier of a banana (check retired the representation successful the supra tweet, showing the lone banana), which served arsenic a zero gravity indicator. The Starship precocious signifier managed to past reentry and execute a controlled brushed splashdown successful the Indian Ocean astatine 6:05 p.m. ET.

Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the full SpaceX squad connected an breathtaking sixth formation trial of Starship! pic.twitter.com/bf98Va9qmL

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024

Earlier successful October, Starship launched for a groundbreaking 5th trial flight. For the archetypal time, the rocket’s Super Heavy 232-foot-tall (71 meters) booster mildly came down towards the tower, which caught the rocket with its extended mechanical arms similar a elephantine brace of chopsticks.

This twelvemonth saw Starship inch person towards operational flights, with each trial formation proving much palmy than the 1 earlier it. SpaceX launched its Starship rocket for the archetypal clip successful April 2023, but its debut was little than perfect arsenic the conveyance entered into a fatal tumble that forced crushed controllers to contented a self-destruct bid close earlier the four-minute people of the mission.

In November 2023, Starship’s second trial formation resulted successful the in-flight demolition of some the Super Heavy booster and precocious stage, but it was inactive a large betterment from its inaugural flight. For the third trial formation successful March, Starship successfully performed a signifier separation, completed a full-duration pain of the second-stage engines, demonstrated interior propellant transportation for NASA, and tested the Starlink dispenser door. Starship’s fourth liftoff successful June broke caller grounds compared to its erstwhile trial flights, with the rocket mostly surviving highest heating and max aerodynamic unit during its controlled reentry.