SpaceX readies first catch of Starship upper stage following booster splashdown failure

SpaceX launched its 15th Starship test flight from Boca Chica, Texas, aiming to pull off an unprecedented dual recovery of both rocket stages using the tower arms known as Mechazilla. The mission successfully deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit. However, the first-stage Super Heavy V3 booster encountered an issue during its descent, forcing controllers to abort the tower catch and divert into the Gulf, where it exploded before hitting the water. [1][2]

The Starship upper stage, known as the Ship, continued in orbit for roughly 22 hours to circle Earth before returning for its own landing maneuver. While SpaceX previously caught and reflown Super Heavy V1 boosters, it has never attempted to catch the Ship stage with the tower's chopstick arms. The company scheduled the landing attempt for Saturday afternoon, streaming coverage across its website and X. [1][2]

A full double recovery would mark the first time an entire orbital launch system has been caught at the launch site. SpaceX described the milestone as a critical breakthrough toward turning Starship into a reliable and rapidly reusable launch system. [2]