Starship preps hint at tower catch in Flight 5

Many signs point to a possible catch attempt on the fifth flight of Starship. Elon Musk did post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that he thought there should be a catch attempt on Flight 5. A new communications license from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has language that states there will either be a soft ocean landing like on the last flight or a catch attempt at the orbital launch site.

The most significant sign of SpaceX’s near-term flight testing intentions has been the rollout of a new test article known as Booster 14.1. B14.1 is a simulated small methane tank, including a booster forward dome, a common dome, and a quad methane tank section. The truncated booster article was installed on the orbital launch pad by a crane after completing tests with the new crusher cap and the lift points at the former Masseys gun range, now a test site for Starbase.

There were three upcoming road closures listed for Starbase: Tuesday, June 25 from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM CDT (17:00 to 01:00 UTC, June 25/26), Wednesday, June 26 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM CDT (13:00 to 01:00 UTC, June 26/27, and Thursday, June 27 at the same times as the June 26 closure. However, SpaceX has since revoked the June 25 and June 27 closures and used the one on June 26 for testing.

The closure on June 26 was used to test B14.1 and SpaceX has an intermittent closure for June 27 from 12pm to 4pm for more testing. However, unlike previously thought, SpaceX did not pick up the shortened test booster, nor was it filled with either propellant or water.

Instead, SpaceX pressurized the test tank, and the north arm was quickly closed and hit the tank. SpaceX is testing this as during actual catch operations, the arms will have to close and touch the booster in order to get the landing rails under the lift points.

While B14.1 has been prepared for tests with the “chopstick” arms, likely as part of testing the system’s response before any catch attempt, other activities at Starbase are preparing the site for a busy and active future of launches, at least when there are no storms in the area.

As for when Flight 5 will fly, the entire heat shield, made up of over 18,000 tiles, is being replaced so that will play a part in when the flight is ready. The old tiles are being replaced with newer and stronger tiles as well as an ablative heat shield underneath these tiles for further thermal protection.

Starship can now fly missions that have very similar profiles to Flight 4 with the existing FAA license, but a license modification is needed for any catch attempt. If Flight 5 does indeed proceed with a catch attempt at the tower for Booster 12, additional paperwork will need to be filed for this license modification.

Inspections and work are being done on the orbital launch pad and mount to prepare for Flight 5 as well. Elon Musk has indicated late July as the goal for flying this mission, but it’s very likely this will slip to August or even early September. Regardless of when it flies, it will be another case of “excitement guaranteed” especially if a tower catch is attempted.

Alongside the preparations for Starship Flight 5, SpaceX is actively developing Starbase’s infrastructure to support an increasing cadence of launches and testing activities. A significant milestone is the construction of a second orbital launch pad at the site of the former suborbital launch pads.

Large concrete pillars are now visible at the new launch pad site, serving as the foundation for the upcoming tower and launch mount structures. These pillars appear different from those supporting the first orbital launch mount, indicating that the new tower’s design will incorporate lessons learned from the initial pad.

Furthermore, the last sections of the new launch tower and “Mechazilla” components are currently in transit from Port Canaveral, Florida, through the Gulf of Mexico. Their arrival at the Port of Brownsville is expected on June 28, after which they will be transported to Starbase for assembly.

In preparation for the increased launch cadence, the orbital tank farm, which will support both launch pads, has received a new long horizontal tank this week to increase its capacity. As the tank farm expands, older vertical tanks constructed earlier in the program are being dismantled to make way for additional infrastructure.

Beyond launch infrastructure, SpaceX has made significant progress on supporting facilities at Starbase. A new parking garage is nearing completion, aiming to alleviate the traffic congestion along Highway 4 caused by employees parking on the side of the road. Additionally, a new office building has received additional levels, providing more workspace for the growing team at the site.

The rapid expansion of Starbase’s infrastructure highlights SpaceX’s ambitions for the Starship program. With a second orbital launch pad and increased propellant storage capacity, the facility will be better equipped to handle the high launch and testing cadence required to achieve SpaceX’s ambitious goals for Starship, including potential lunar missions and the eventual journey to Mars.