GoKawiilSpaceX catches Starship upper stage for first time on Flight 15
SpaceX launched Starship's 15th test flight from South Texas, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites before successfully catching the Ship stage with the launch tower's chopstick arms for the first time. The Super Heavy booster, however, aborted its own catch attempt due to an issue during descent and instead diverted to splash down in the Gulf, where it exploded before impact.
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Catching the upper stage marks a milestone toward SpaceX's goal of fully reusable Starship flights, which the company says is central to lowering launch costs and enabling rapid turnaround. The booster's failed catch shows the system remains unproven at full reliability, suggesting more testing is needed before both stages can be routinely recovered together.
- SpaceX caught the Starship upper stage (Ship) for the first time using the launch tower's arms.
- The Super Heavy booster aborted its catch and was lost in a Gulf splashdown explosion.
- The flight also deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, with the Ship orbiting about 22 hours before return.
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Published there as: “SpaceX successfully catches Starship after launch for the first time”
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