SpaceX Prepares for Starship Launch This Sunday: Will It Catch Super Heavy Booster?
SpaceX is gearing up for a monumental launch of its 37-story Starship rocket as early as this Sunday, pending approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This marks the fifth launch of Starship, but what makes this mission particularly exciting is SpaceX’s bold plan to catch the 21-story Super Heavy booster at the launch pad—a first in aerospace history.
This surprise development comes after the FAA initially indicated that a decision on the launch wouldn’t be made until late November. However, SpaceX announced on Monday via X (formerly Twitter) that they could be ready for liftoff by Sunday. The FAA has since confirmed it is reviewing updated information from SpaceX, indicating the launch could happen sooner than expected.
This next flight test (IFT5) follows SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in late September and builds on lessons from the previous Starship launch in June (IFT4). SpaceX has since made improvements to the rocket, including a more robust heat shield. But the most anticipated part of IFT5 is the catch attempt using giant arms, nicknamed “chopsticks,” at the Boca Chica, Texas, launch site.
If successful, this launch will set the stage for future missions, including NASA’s Artemis III mission to the moon in 2026, and further SpaceX’s long-term goal of sending humans to Mars.
Source: Swifterdaio.com
