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SpaceX teases catching Super Heavy booster with ‘chopsticks’ on upcoming Starship test flight (video)

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SpaceX teases catching Super Heavy booster with ‘chopsticks’ on upcoming Starship test flight (video)

The next flight test of SpaceX’s Starship could include a new milestone, according to a teaser included on a video of highlights from the rocket’s fourth flight test.

SpaceX posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday (July 4), which contains a montage of milestones from Starship’s fourth flight test that took place on June 6. The video shows clips from ignition, lift off, booster separation and the reentries of both the Starship upper stage and its Super Heavy booster

At the end of the video, an animation depicts a 400-foot-tall (122-meter-tall) Super Heavy coming back in for a landing at Starship’s launch tower, known as “Mechazilla,” beside the words “Next up” and “Flight 5,” suggesting the company plans to attempt to catch the booster on its upcoming flight test. SpaceX plans to catch Super Heavy on its launch tower so the rocket can be refurbished and relaunched more efficiently and on shorter timeframes, the company has said.

Still from an animation showing a SpaceX Starship Super Heavy booster being caught by the “chopstick” arms of its launch tower after a liftoff.  (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk has suggested as much on social media as well. “Aiming to try this in late July!” Musk wrote on X last month, following Starship’s fourth flight test.

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