- Published on
SpaceX wants to launch next Starship this month (and catch it, too), Elon Musk says in 1st earnings call since histor...
- Authors
- Name
- DeepHorus
SpaceX aims to launch the 14th test flight of its Starship megarocket before the end of August, with an unprecedented attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower. CEO Elon Musk announced the plan during the company's first-ever quarterly earnings call on Aug. 4. The mission would also deploy viable payloads into orbit for the first time, a key milestone for the system.
Starship comprises the 171-foot-tall Ship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster, both designed for full and rapid reusability. Flight 13, which lifted off July 24, ended with Ship's soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The heat shield survived reentry in great shape, giving SpaceX confidence to attempt a tower catch on Flight 14.
Flight 14 will carry V3 Starlink satellites, a larger and more capable version of the broadband spacecraft. Musk said the company aims to catch Ship with the tower, pending regulatory approval. This test follows SpaceX's historic public offering on June 12, which raised $86 billion and valued the company at $1.77 trillion.
The company's first public earnings report showed total revenue of $7.8 billion in Q2, up 92% from the same period last year. Its net loss narrowed to $541 million from $1.0 billion. More than half of the quarterly revenue, about $4.3 billion, came from Starlink, underscoring SpaceX's transformation beyond just a launch provider.
Musk expressed optimism about the upcoming flight, saying, "I don't want to jinx it or anything, but I think I'd consider the heat shield problem solved at this point." He acknowledged that the catch attempt depends on receiving regulatory approval. The successful tower catch of Ship would be a crucial step toward the full reusability that SpaceX envisions.
SpaceX sees itself becoming increasingly an AI outfit, with launch revenue expected to shrink as a share of total income. The next Starship flight, tentatively scheduled for the end of August, could mark a pivotal moment in the vehicle's development. If all goes well, it would demonstrate the system's ability to deliver satellites to operational orbit and recover its upper stage intact.
