Starship Returns to its Launch Pad From Orbit
Starship has completed its most ambitious test flight yet, with Ship 42 achieving the system’s first ever catch from orbit after completing the program’s longest flight to-date. This flight pushed the experimental vehicle a major step closer to its aspirational goals, but simultaneously stumbled again on booster recovery, with Super Heavy Booster 22 aborted its tower catch. Starship also successfully deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit, performing the system’s second launch in service of the constellation, a continually important milestone for the company as Falcon 9 launches for Starlink are expected to end in the very near future. While many questions lie ahead for both SpaceX and Starship, Flight 15 pushes the system ever nearer to fulfilling SpaceX’s internal needs, and provides further confidence in the system’s readiness for the Artemis III low orbit demonstration.
Lifting off from Pad 2 at SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas launch site at 4:45 PM on November 13th, Starship performed the first fully nominal orbital ascent for its integrated V3 iteration with no apparent issues on the way up. While one engine did fail to relight for boostback of the Super Heavy booster, Booster 22 performed the majority of its return leg back towards the tower before conducting an automated abort. Following the abort, Booster 22 brought itself to a hover just off the coastline before the Flight Termination System detonated the vehicle. Posts from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on his social media platform stated an under-performance of the engines left the booster just short of making it to the tower. Ship 42 experienced no engine losses, unlike the flight before, and successfully inserted into orbit.
Whereas Flight 14, the system’s first orbital test flight, lasted barely more than 3 hours total due to technical issues, Flight 15 accomplished a nominal 22 hour mission, standard for Starlink deployment. Most of that time was spent idly monitoring Ship 42 while waiting for its trajectory to pass back over the launch site. Meanwhile, teams on the ground lowered the catch arms on the Pad 2 launch tower for post-launch inspections and adjustments, before the arms returned to their normal position by sunrise to await the catch attempt. Starship’s payload deployment system operated as expected, repeating the successful deployment operations demonstrated on Flights 13 and 14, and allowed imagery of the heatshield to confirm the vehicle was healthy for return.
Ship 42 continued through a full 22 hour mission before deorbiting itself and beginning its return leg. Reentry was completed cleanly with Ship 42 passing over Hawaii and northern Mexico. After successfully surviving reentry, Starship began its approach to the launch tower at Starbase, guiding itself in a wide turn in from the north and out over the Gulf of Mexico in case a last minute divert was required. Starship ignited its three sea level engines for a landing burn which guided it into the arms of its launch tower for a successful recovery from orbit.
Unlike Starship’s 5th flight where the booster was recovered for the first time, the environment at and around SpaceX paints the milestones of 15th flight test as a peak rather than a turning point. While impressive, ship recovery could be the final major technical demonstration conducted by the program for some time. Recovery of the new V3 booster will have to be demonstrated, and both stages will need to progress together towards being reflown, but the overall mission profile has been solidified. Starship has, in large part, passed its experimental phase and is now entering its initial period as a truly operational system – though only for SpaceX’s purposes.
As long reported by Space Scout, Starship remains narrowly dedicated to internal payloads in the near term, and Eric Berger of Ars Technica reports there is no apparent development on a general payload platform for Starship taking place. The majority of Starship’s purpose as far as SpaceX is concerned lies in AI data satellites, and Artemis appears to be in many respects a side objective. When exactly the Ship-to-Ship fuel transfer demonstration takes place, long gated by the orbital flight milestone, will be illuminating as to SpaceX’s real priorities for Starship going forward. The wider AI industry, meanwhile, faces recent upsets in the market as it anticipates increased Congressional scrutiny following nation-wide Democratic wins in the midterms. The excitement of Starship’s 15th flight test was felt, but even as the system passes increasing technical hurdles, questions continue to linger over the system’s future potential.
