Elon Musk Didn’t Think SpaceX Could Catch Starship Flight 5 Booster On First Attempt

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Ahead of SpaceX's Starship Flight 5, Elon Musk was unsure whether the tower arms would successfully catch the Super Heavy booster during the test. SpaceX's booster catch was one of the most important test objectives of the Starship program since it is vital to reusing the rocket booster for rapid flights. Before Flight 5, SpaceX had shared that it would carefully evaluate the booster's systems during launch, and a manual go ahead would be given by the launch director before a catch attempt. The successful catch surprised many, including Musk, and it also paved the way for additional ambitious test objectives, such as catching the upper stage Starship spacecraft with the tower catch arms.

Elon Musk Confirms SpaceX Will Attempt To Catch Upper Stage Starship Spacecraft With Tower Arms In Future Flights

In an X post made earlier this week, Musk shared that he believed that a successful Starship Super Heavy booster catch would take at least three flights. SpaceX had moved fast after Flight 4 in deciding that it would attempt to catch the booster with the tower arms, and Musk himself had announced the decision on social media.

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Before Flight 5, in a presentation given to SpaceX employees in Texas, Musk had commented that "the odds of actually catching the booster with the tower are probably 80%, 90% this year." In a strange twist of irony, the executive, whose optimism for his business ventures is often a source of intrigue and criticism, ended up being pessimistic as not only did SpaceX catch the booster with Flight 5 but also managed to do so on the first attempt.

In another post, Musk shared that he believed "it would take three attempts" before SpaceX would be able to catch the Super Heavy booster with the tower arms successfully. In another