SpaceX Starship launch tests catching booster and spacecraft together

A first attempt to catch both stages

SpaceX launched the 15th test flight of its Starship rocket on Friday from Starbase in Texas, according to CNBC. The company had aimed to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage spacecraft at the launch site, something it had never tried before.

The rocket lifted off in the late afternoon local time, which was early evening on the US east coast. Earlier the same day, the Federal Aviation Administration had granted the company authorisation for the flight.

The catch plan did not work out. SpaceX aborted the booster recovery and steered the Super Heavy towards a splashdown in the ocean instead. The notes do not say why the catch was abandoned, and SpaceX's reason is unconfirmed.

A bumpy day for US airspace

The launch took place on a disrupted day for American aviation. Hours after clearing the rocket, the FAA declared a nationwide ground stop, citing communication problems that affected several air traffic control centres.

An FAA spokesperson told CNBC that the ground stop did not affect SpaceX's licence for the Starship flight. The launch therefore went ahead despite the wider disruption to air travel.

Why Starship matters to SpaceX

Starship is central to SpaceX's plans to carry cargo and people to the Moon and eventually Mars. In the short term, the rocket's main job is to launch more satellites for Starlink, the satellite internet service that CNBC describes as the company's main source of profit.

The constellation already has more than 11,000 active satellites in low Earth orbit. SpaceX says a single Starship could carry up to 60 of its new Starlink v3 satellites, roughly 20 times what a Falcon 9 can lift.

The previous test flight released 26 Starlink v3 satellites, and the company planned another 26 on Friday. In a post on X, SpaceX tied the expansion to a goal of Starlink carrying 51% of internet traffic. These figures come from the company itself.

Industry view and open questions

Analysts at William Blair wrote on Friday that SpaceX is likely a decade ahead of its rivals in launch capability. They added that even a failed catch would only cause a delay of a few months, which they did not consider consequential.

The outcome of Friday's attempt to catch both stages is not confirmed in the available material beyond the booster being diverted to the ocean. Readers should await official updates from SpaceX before drawing conclusions about how the full flight went.

Growing political pressure over Starshield

The launch comes as SpaceX faces criticism over its Starshield service in Ukraine. Starshield is the military version of Starlink, built on the same technology.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said this week that Ukrainian forces had again faced unannounced limits on Starshield, weakening their defence against Russian air attacks. Similar restrictions were temporarily imposed last month.

Some US senators have condemned the restrictions and called on Congress to investigate SpaceX. The company has not commented in the material reviewed for this article.