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IPFS News Link • Space Travel and Exploration

Next SpaceX Starship Launch and First Mechazilla Catch in 4 Weeks

• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, by Brian Wang

If the booster catch is successful, then SpaceX Starship becomes about 80% reusable. Starship will become as reusable as the Falcon 9 when the booster is reliably recovered and reused. The Falcon 9 recovers its first stage booster.

SpaceX has radically improved the heat shield on the Starship upper stage. They have added an ablative second layer between the tiles and metal skin. I believe SpaceX will have over-engineered this solution and there should not be any damage to the metal skin and the main components of the Starship during re-entry.

I will predict that SpaceX will be able to get an intact Starship to land undamaged in the ocean. The Starship will then get water damage and likely sink. If this is what happens then the next flight (IFT6) will see a Mechazilla booster catch and an attempted Starship catch.


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