SpaceX Aims to Catch Starship in Next Launch Following Flight 13 Success, Says Elon Musk

The next step for SpaceX's Starship program is to launch again, but this time, CEO Elon Musk claims that the next mission will have the company attempting to catch the ship.

Elon Musk: SpaceX Will Attempt to Catch Starship In Next Flight

Musk shared the plan on X shortly after Flight 13's upper stage, commonly called the ship, splashed down softly in the Indian Ocean on July 24. He wrote that unless problems turn up during mission data review, "SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower on the next flight."

The plan involves bringing Starship's upper stage back to the Starbase launch tower in Texas and catching it mid-air using the same mechanical arms, nicknamed Mechazilla, that have already proven successful with the Super Heavy booster.

A successful catch would push SpaceX closer to its long-term goal of full and rapid reusability across the entire Starship system, rather than relying on ocean splashdowns that require retrieval and lengthy refurbishment.

Mission Data Review Will Influence the Ship's Catch

Musk's wording made clear that the plan isn't locked in yet. His exact phrase, "unless we discover problems after mission data review," signals a go or no-go decision rather than a guaranteed attempt.

SpaceX engineers will need to comb through telemetry, thermal readings, and structural data collected from Flight 13 before making a final call, and if anything concerning surfaces during that review, the catch attempt would likely get pushed back to a later flight.

That kind of caution fits SpaceX's established pattern with Starship testing, where milestones have repeatedly been delayed rather than rushed if data suggested the vehicle wasn't ready. Beyond internal readiness, the attempt will also require its own sign-off from the Federal Aviation Administration before SpaceX can move forward.

Will It Be Similar to Super Heavy Catch?

The tower catch itself would use the same Mechazilla chopstick arms that have already caught the Super Heavy booster multiple times, starting with Booster 12 on Flight 5 back in October 2024, followed by successful repeats on later flights.

Since Super Heavy is significantly heavier than the ship, catching the smaller upper stage would represent a different engineering challenge, even while using the same tower hardware.

To pull off the catch, Starship's ship will need to ignite one or more Raptor engines during its descent to maneuver and control its final approach toward the tower, similar to how Super Heavy has managed its own guided descents in past catch attempts.

Notably, Musk's announcement focused specifically on attempting the tower catch rather than mentioning a full landing for Starship, a capability SpaceX has discussed and tested extensively in the past but did not reference in this latest update.

Whether that omission reflects a shift in near-term priorities or simply reflects Musk's focus on the more immediate milestone remains unclear for now.