SpaceX Might Attempt Starship Second Stage Tower Catch In 6 Months, Says Official

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SpaceX’s Starbase general manager, Kathy Leuders, has shared details about when her firm will catch the Starship second-stage rocket with the tower catch arms. SpaceX made history in October after it caught the Super Heavy booster for the first time with the launch tower. The achievement was remarkable, particularly since the booster catch was successful on its first attempt – an outcome many industry watchers had been skeptical of. The tower catch is key to Starship’s goal of rapid re-usability, and the next step in the process is to catch the upper-stage rocket with the tower arms.

Speaking at an event last week, Leuders shared that SpaceX plans to catch the second stage sometime next year and launch as many as 25 Starship missions in 2025. The year is crucial in Starship development since it will also test in-space propellant transfer to develop a key capability for NASA’s Artemis program.

SpaceX Official Shares Key Details For Starship Testing In 2025

During her talk at the CONACES 2024 conference, Leuders shared that SpaceX is taking steps to ensure that when it does fully go orbital with Starship, it does so safely. According to her, SpaceX must continue to learn and meet testing milestones to eventually conduct Starship missions to the Moon and Mars.

Commenting on the historic Starship Flight 5 tower catch, Leuders shared that getting the booster back to the site was important since it…