Will SpaceX's Starship Catch Its Second-Stage Rocket With Chopstick Arms on the 15th Test Flight?

At a glance

SpaceX has set the 15th test launch of Starship, its large space launch vehicle, for the 13th in US time. This time, not only the first-stage rocket but also the second stage (the Starship spacecraft) will try to return to the ground for the first time and be caught by the launch tower. Being able to reuse rockets is key to lowering launch costs.

Key points

1. 1

   The launch is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. Korean time on the 14th, at SpaceX's Starbase launch site in Texas.

2. 2

   The spacecraft will climb to an altitude of 275 km and orbit the Earth about 14 times over roughly 22 hours.

3. 3

   The launch tower's long, chopstick-like arms will come down and catch the falling rocket to recover it.

4. 4

   This flight also plans to put 26 satellites into Earth orbit.

Why it matters

Whether rockets can be reused many times is important for cutting the cost of space launches, so the results of this test will show how complete the technology is.

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