Story by TIM SULLIVAN
SpaceX is confirming an earlier report that it will attempt to launch a sixth Starship rocket from Boca Chica Beach next Monday. That would be just a little more than a month since the last test flight, which made history when the rocket’s Super Heavy booster was maneuvered back to the launch pad and was caught by two robotic arms attached to the launch tower.
SpaceX says it will try that again, but will also attempt another first – that of keeping the rocket’s spaceplane intact upon splashdown in the Indian Ocean. That would move the private aeronautics company another step closer to its overall goal of making both the booster and the starship reusable.
The sixth Starship rocket is tentatively scheduled for a late afternoon, rather than an early morning launch next Monday.