SpaceX is gearing up to retrieve both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage of its Starship vehicle—known as the “Ship”—during the upcoming 15th flight test. Elon Musk disclosed the strategy during the company’s earnings call, which was streamed live on X, indicating that the mission could launch as early as next month. A short animation shown in the broadcast illustrated the method the company intends to use to bring the Ship back safely to Earth.
The simulation, which can be seen by watching the earnings call and skipping ahead to the 1:07:19 mark, was also shared by investor Sawyer Merritt. According to the footage, SpaceX will employ the “chopstick” arms mounted on its launch tower to snag the Ship, the same mechanism previously used to capture the Super Heavy booster.
In the prior test, flight 14, both stages landed in the ocean. While the booster returned to the pad within minutes, the upper stage stayed aloft for several hours before re‑entering, a difference that has so far prevented SpaceX from attempting a tower capture of the Ship. The company’s long‑term aim is to turn Starship into a fully reusable launch system capable of rapid turnaround for deep‑space missions, including crewed trips to the Moon and Mars.
If the dual‑stage capture succeeds on the next flight, it would mark a significant milestone toward that vision. Space notes that the Ship travels higher, farther and faster than the booster, making the recovery operation more challenging. During flight 14, the Ship was slated to orbit for about ten hours, but an engine issue forced an early return; nevertheless, it still required several hours to descend, whereas Super Heavy touched down minutes after launch.