CNBC reported that SpaceX’s Flight 15 caught Starship’s Ship upper stage but failed to recover its booster, a mixed result for reuse plans tied to Starlink expansion and NASA’s lunar transport work.
Ship completed 14 circuits of Earth before the launch tower at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas caught it on Saturday, Nov. 14, CNBC reported. The Super Heavy booster had been diverted toward an offshore splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, Nov. 13, but exploded before reaching the water, the outlet said. EconoTimes previously covered the Flight 15 upper-stage catch and booster failure.
Flight 15 was the first time SpaceX attempted to catch both stages on one mission, CNBC reported. The flight also released 26 Starlink v3 satellites; the company’s constellation already had more than 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, the outlet said.
CNBC reported that SpaceX needs Starship to expand Starlink, its profit center. The company is also expected to use the vehicle to carry astronauts and cargo between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface and back for NASA.
