SpaceX is attempting an unprecedented maneuver today: catching the Super Heavy booster at the launch pad. Excitement guaranteed.
SpaceX aims for a fifth integrated test flight of Starship, the world’s biggest space rocket. The company has a 30-minute launch window starting at 7 a.m. CT, and it aims for a launch at 7:25 a.m. CT.
Today, all eyes stay on the Starbase launch complex in Boca Chica, Texas. That’s because just three minutes into the flight, the Super Heavy first stage will turn around, reignite its engines, and head back to Texas for an unprecedented launch pad landing.
The launch tower features giant jaws nicknamed Mechazilla. After the boostback burn, the Super Heavy will reignite 13 of its 33 Raptor engines, then switch to just three remaining engines.
