Summary
SpaceX caught the Starship upper stage at its South Texas launch tower on November 14 after a roughly 22-hour flight that completed 14 Earth orbits. The test demonstrated a controlled return, but Starship still needs to prove rapid reuse and refueling in orbit before it can support NASA’s planned Moon missions.Key Facts
- Starship’s upper stage returned from orbit and was caught by mechanical arms on the launch tower at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas.
- The spacecraft spent about 22 hours in space and completed 14 orbits of Earth.
- SpaceX did not catch the Super Heavy booster because its guidance system diverted it to the Gulf of Mexico after detecting it was not positioned for a tower catch.
- The tower catch could allow SpaceX to inspect and prepare Starship for another flight without recovering it from a distant landing site.
- SpaceX must assess the returned spacecraft’s heat shield, engines, and other systems before the test can demonstrate that it is ready for rapid reuse.
- NASA selected SpaceX to develop a Starship-based Human Landing System for its Artemis lunar program.
- The Human Landing System is designed to carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back to NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
- SpaceX must demonstrate the lunar landing system without a crew before NASA places astronauts aboard it.
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