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Poised to Rewrite the History of Human Rocket Reuse: SpaceX Starship's 15th Test Flight Tomorrow, "Chopsticks" to Attempt Dual-Stage Capture for the First Time

Source: IT之家 Published: Business & Funding 中文 SpaceX
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SpaceX's 15th Starship test flight is scheduled to open a 75-minute launch window at 16:45 Central Time on November 13 (06:45 Beijing Time on November 14), with the first attempt to return both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage to the launch site and catch them with the launch tower's "chopsticks" robotic arms. If successful, it would become humanity's first orbital-class launch system to achieve full recovery. The mission plans to catch the V3 Super Heavy booster about 6 minutes 35 seconds after liftoff, while the upper stage will enter an orbit about 275 km high, circle Earth about 14 times, fly for more than 22 hours, then perform a deorbit burn and reentry before returning to Starbase for an in-air catch by the tower's robotic arms; SpaceX says the vehicle will only attempt the return catch if the systems needed for the reentry maneuver, final landing burn, and launch tower approach are confirmed healthy. This remains a high-risk test, and the possibility of a failed catch or mission abort still exists.

Translation(model translation, not the source's own text)

Expected to Rewrite the History of Human Rocket Reuse: SpaceX Starship’s 15th Test Flight Tomorrow, “Chopsticks” to Attempt Dual-Stage Capture for the First Time

IT之家 November 13 news: SpaceX’s 15th Starship test flight will open a 75-minute launch window at 16:45 U.S. Central Time on November 13 (06:45 Beijing Time on November 14), marking the first attempt to return both stages—the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft—to the launch site and catch them with the launch tower’s robotic arm, “Chopsticks.” If successful, it will become the first orbital-class launch system in human history to achieve complete recovery.

SpaceX is preparing to conduct the 15th Starship test flight at Starbase in Texas. The mission is planned to open its launch window at 16:45 U.S. Central Time on November 13. If weather, vehicle conditions, and regulatory approvals permit, SpaceX will attempt to recover both Starship stages at the same time for the first time: the Super Heavy booster responsible for ascent and the Starship spacecraft that travels into space. IT之家 attaches the relevant images from the post below:

According to the plan, about 6 minutes and 35 seconds after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster will return to the launch site and be caught by the launch tower’s giant robotic arm. This is SpaceX’s first attempt to catch a V3 Super Heavy booster.

The truly historic challenge lies in the Starship upper stage. It is planned to enter an Earth orbit about 275 kilometers high, circle Earth about 14 times, and fly for more than 22 hours; it will then perform a deorbit burn, reenter the atmosphere, and return to Starbase, where it will be caught in the air by the launch tower’s robotic arm. SpaceX says Starship will only perform the return-to-site capture after confirming that the systems required for the reentry maneuver, final landing burn, and approach to the launch tower are all healthy.

If both stage captures succeed, Starship will become the first orbital-class rocket in human history to be fully recovered, taking a key step toward a space transportation system of “rapid reuse, flying repeatedly like an aircraft.” However, this is still a high-risk test, and the possibility of capture failure or mission abort remains.

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The translation is machine-generated and individual terms may be off. Nothing is rewritten or cut; the original is authoritative.

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