SpaceX prepares to catch Starship using Mechazilla

SpaceX, ushering in a new era in the aerospace industry, is approaching one of the most critical and complex stages of the Starship program. According to Ixbt.com, the company is preparing to test a system for catching the spacecraft's hull directly using the mechanical manipulators of the launch tower. This technology is a key step toward making the entire system fully reusable. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

It is reported that the upcoming 14th test flight is expected to be the final step before this complex process. If all procedures go as planned, during the next flight — the 15th — SpaceX will attempt to return the Starship spacecraft to the launch complex and catch it using its mechanical "arms." This technology is already being applied in the recovery process of the Super Heavy first stage.

Success probability and technical details

According to Elon Musk's assessment, the probability of catching the Starship spacecraft with the tower's mechanical manipulators on the first attempt is 50–60 percent. He notes that in one of the previous tests, the ship returned to Earth with such precision that if the corresponding tower had been ready at that time, it would have been possible to catch it.

Furthermore, another ambitious goal set by SpaceX is the relaunch of previously used Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. The company plans to conduct such tests by the end of 2026 or early 2027. Experts believe that 2027 could be the year when full reusability and rapid flight turnarounds are achieved.

Fully reusable system and future plans

Unlike traditional Falcon 9 rockets, the Starship project envisions not only the recovery of the first booster but also the refurbishment and relaunch of the spacecraft itself. The goal is not just to recover the hardware, but to relaunch it into space in a short time with minimal maintenance, similar to passenger aircraft.

The rapid reuse of both stages will drastically reduce the cost of transporting cargo to orbit. In the future, SpaceX aims to rely on this technology to carry out large-scale, long-term space missions to the Moon and Mars. However, this first requires proving the safe capture and refurbishment of the ship in practice.