SpaceX has recently provided further details regarding its decision to cancel the anticipated catch of the Starship's Super Heavy booster. Initially, the company planned to execute this maneuver for the second time, following a successful first attempt in mid-October. However, as the launch date neared, SpaceX decided to postpone the catch for a more suitable occasion.
As excitement grew for the Tuesday launch, many anticipated that SpaceX would proceed with its second catch attempt. The first successful catch had been a pivotal achievement for the Starship program, highlighting the company's innovative prowess.
CEO Elon Musk has indicated that SpaceX aims to eventually catch both the booster and the ship, potentially as early as next year. For this particular launch, the objective was to achieve a "faster and harder" catch of the Super Heavy booster. However, five minutes into the flight, the decision was made to abort the catch attempt. The live broadcast offered limited information, underscoring that safety was the top priority.
Technical Insights and Safety Precautions
SpaceX provided further explanation in a blog post following the launch: "After a nominal ascent and stage separation, the booster transitioned to its boostback burn to return to the launch site. During this phase, automated health checks on critical hardware triggered the abort of the catch attempt. The booster then executed a pre-planned divert maneuver, performing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico."
It seems that the upcoming seventh Starship launch will also not include a catch attempt. Musk mentioned that SpaceX plans to conduct "one more ocean landing of the ship" before attempting another catch, contingent on the success of the ocean landing.
Looking Ahead: Future Launches and Learnings
Despite the aborted catch, the recent launch was considered successful, providing valuable data for SpaceX's future missions. The company stated: "Data gathered from multiple thermal protection experiments, along with the successful flight through subsonic speeds at a more aggressive angle of attack, offers invaluable feedback on flight hardware performance. This information is crucial as we aim for eventual ship return and catch."
SpaceX emphasized that the primary payload of the sixth flight test was the data and flight learnings, which will enhance the reliability of the entire Starship system as it moves toward full and rapid reusability. As of now, there are no scheduled dates for the seventh test launch.