SpaceX Tests Starship Flight 5’s Biggest & Riskiest Maneuver Ahead Of Launch

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As it waits for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to clear its flight profile for the fifth Starship test, SpaceX is busy testing its launch pad and tower arms to try to catch the 232 feet tall Super Heavy rocket booster after Flight 5. The upcoming Starship test will be the first to attempt the risky tower catch, and SpaceX's latest Starship update provided earlier this month shared that it would continue to fine tune this procedure during the time that it takes for the FAA to evaluate its Starship Flight 5 test application.

SpaceX Conducts Several Catch Simulations With Starship Launch Tower Arms Ahead Of Flight 5

SpaceX first started to test the launch tower's arms for a booster catch in June, when it transported a piece of a rocket booster to the pad. These tests saw the tower arms, also called chopsticks, repeatedly impact the cylinder's sides as teams tried to simulate a successful catch. After this test, one of the tower arms was replaced, according to footage from local media, and testing slowed down as SpaceX shifted its focus on the second stage Starship.

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Now, as it waits for the FAA's clearance for Starship Flight 5, SpaceX has resumed testing the tower arms for the risky catch attempt. It shipped the booster piece to the pad earlier this week and tested it with the arms before removing it from the tower and sending it back to production and assembly facilities earlier today.

Footage from local media shows that the tower arms were tested at least six times during the latest run. Several of these simulated the test while they were above the booster piece, and other tests saw the arms close around the cylinder as closely as they could without impacting it.

Heading towards the fifth Starship test that could