SpaceX may not catch the Super Heavy booster for Starship Flight 9

SpaceX is preparing to launch Starship Flight 9, but there may be unfortunate news for those who have been eagerly awaiting the iconic booster catch in this test mission.

FAA has recently issued a license to fly this mega rocket into space, and a change in the recent version suggests that the launch site is no longer a destination location. It means that the company is no longer looking to return the booster to the catch tower.

SpaceX uses the Super Heavy booster to lift the rocket from the launch pad and send it off to space with the second stage. After performing a hot-staging, the booster returns to the launch site for a tower catch. This process ensures hardware recovery for reusability.

During Starship Flight 5, the company attempted this maneuver for the first time and caught the booster successfully. However, the following mission was a failure in this segment, which led to numerous improvements in the launch site, catch tower, and involved technologies for the Super Heavy booster. This later resulted in back-to-back successful catches during the 7th and 8th flights.

It brings us to the second stage, which experienced rapid unscheduled disassembly during the 7th and 8th flights, requiring two FAA investigations, and the second is still open to date.

Source – SpaceX

The booster catch denial may be related to the reusability factor. Flight 9 will be an inaugural flight for a reused Super Heavy booster, including 29 out of 33 flight-proven Raptor engines. SpaceX may have evaluated the situation and decided on a first-stage splashdown in the Gulf of America after its objectives are completed, ensuring the launch site’s safety.

Currently, SpaceX has not published a mission profile for Starship Flight 9, but the chances for seeing a Super Heavy booster catch are relatively low.

(source)