SpaceX Might Skip Starship Tower Catch On Flight 5, Says Official

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SpaceX might not catch its Starship rocket with the tower arms on the next flight, shared Starbase general manager Kathy Leudders during a closed community talk given in Port Isabel, Texas, earlier today. Leuders oversees SpaceX's production and testing facilities in Texas, which are responsible for the Starship tests and rocket production. When asked whether SpaceX would catch its rocket with the tower, Leuders shared that while SpaceX will eventually do so, the catch attempt might not occur on the upcoming flight 5.

SpaceX Has Invested $3 Billion In Starbase Texas Facilities & Earmarked Another $400 Million For Starfactory and Associated Plans

The SpaceX executive started her talk by sharing her firm's investments in the Brownsville, Texas, area. According to her, SpaceX has invested over $3 billion to develop its launch and production site. With the pace of Starship tests picking up, Leuders' earlier talks have also highlighted her firm's plans to set up a new factory in the area to make its rockets.

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SpaceX chief Elon Musk has speculated that this new facility, dubbed Starfactory, might be able to make thousands of rockets. According to Leuders, SpaceX has earmarked an additional $400 million in funds for Starfactory and associated offices. She added that SpaceX's presence in the region has enabled the state and local government to generate more than $800 million in taxes.

SpaceX has also spent more than $90 million to acquire goods and services from local suppliers in the Rio Grande Valley, according to data shared in Leuders' presentation. It has more than 3,400 contractors and full time employees at the facility, and estimates from the firm also suggest that Starbase has helped generate more than twenty thousand additional jobs in the