Success for SpaceX: Super Heavy Booster Catch Accomplished

In a major win for SpaceX, they’ve successfully caught the Super Heavy Booster on the first attempt! This follows the previous attempt, where the booster landed with an accuracy just half a centimeter off target.

The FAA confirmed that all activities for the Super Heavy Booster and Starship were within authorized safety parameters, so no investigation is required. They examined three key failure points:

Raptor engine issues
Loss of control from Starship flaps
Thermal shield failure

With the next set of vehicles, Ship 31 and Booster 13, rumored to be nearly complete, a 6th flight could be around the corner. This would be a significant upgrade for SpaceX’s next Integrated Test Flight (IFT). Looking at past flights, IFTs 1 and 2 encountered several issues, but the last three (IFT 3 through 5) have shown much smoother performance, especially with booster recovery.

Speed Comparison:

Speed [km_h] x Seconds [s].png

Altitude Comparison:

Altitude [km] x Seconds [s].png

IFT Timeline:

IFT 1: April 20, 2023
IFT 2: November 18, 2023 (212 days later)
IFT 3: March 14, 2024 (117 days later)
IFT 4: June 6, 2024 (84 days later)
IFT 5: October 13, 2024 (129 days later)

With only 79 days left in 2024 for a tournaround, could we see IFT 6 with Ship 31 and Booster 13 before year’s end? SpaceX already has the license.

Why No Legs?

Many ask why the Super Heavy booster doesn’t land on legs like Falcon 9.

The answer: weight and complexity. Legs would reduce the vehicle’s mass-to-orbit capability and add a separate hydraulic system, making things more complicated. To optimize for efficiency, SpaceX even moved some startup infrastructure to the launch pad itself, cutting down further on weight.

Problems with the Booster

During reentry, the bell section was glowing hot and fire could be seen around the base. Maybe mostly caused by aerodynamic heating. That heating led to deformed engine bells, which would be very bad for reuse.

We might see changes to the geometry of the base to keep the shock wave further away from the housing.
We might see the chines develop into more of a strake design, in order to improve the glide path of booster to scrub off more energy during reentry. Similar to the belly-flop maneuver of Starship which manages to slow it down to terminal velocity just by presenting the most area towards the airflow.
Maybe additional pumps to keep the bells cooled during reentry can solve many issues – it they are not doing it already.

Milestones for Starship

For Starship to achieve Elon Musk’s grand vision, several key milestones still remain:

Launch: ✅
Stage separation: ✅
Orbit: Almost there (at orbital velocity but slightly below orbit to ensure “controlled” reentry)
Bellyflop: ✅
Reentry without damage: ❌ (flap damage, heat shields fell off)
Safe landing: ❌ (exploded when it hit the ocean)
In-orbit refueling: ❌
Leaving low Earth orbit (LEO): ❌
Human life support: ❌
Moon/Mars return & landing: ❌
Lift off from Moon/Mars: ❌

Technical Detail

For a detailed look at how SpaceX catches the Super Heavy booster, check out Ryan Hansen’s breakdown: How SpaceX Will Catch Super Heavy | Explained.

Full Flight

The Launch Pad: FULL FLIGHT! SpaceX Starship Flight 5