SpaceX will try a first

Billionaire Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, is preparing to carry out the last test of Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, tonight and to "catch" the spacecraft for the first time after a day in orbit.

Successful capture of Starship's upper stage would be a major milestone for the industry in the search for fully reusable spacecraft that could greatly reduce mission costs and enable frequent space travel.

"If successful, this will be the first full recovery of an orbital launch system and a breakthrough moment in making Starship a reliable, rapidly reusable rocket," SpaceX said in a statement.

In Friday's 15th Starship test flight, SpaceX aims to recover both stages of the 124-meter-tall giant launch vehicle.

The company had captured the booster called "Super Heavy" three times before; Shortly after takeoff, the first stage descended vertically to the launch site and settled between the mechanical "chopstick" arms.

SpaceX will now try the same process with its spacecraft.

Some versions of the vehicle will be designed to launch internet satellites and data centers into orbit, while others will be built to carry humans to the Moon and Mars.

A fully reusable spacecraft is the space industry's "Holy Grail," said Clayton Swope, an aerospace expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"No one has really been able to do this yet. People (NASA) have been trying to do this since the space shuttle. But the space shuttle ended up being kind of a compromise because so much of the vehicle couldn't be reused," Swope said.

To be reusable, the Starship spacecraft must withstand the extreme heat of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and return to service without extensive refurbishment.

Musk, the world's richest person, has already revolutionized the space industry with his partially reusable Falcon rockets, which are regularly used to launch satellites and carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

But the Starship project faced years of delays as SpaceX grappled with new engineering challenges; Moreover, NASA relies on this spacecraft as a Moon landing vehicle within the scope of the Artemis program.

Other technical challenges include transferring fuel to Starship in orbit, which is necessary for any trip to the Moon or Mars.

Following SpaceX's high-profile stock market debut in June, the company conducted Starship's first orbital flight in September, but the mission was cut short due to an engine problem.

The company is also investing heavily in additional launch sites for its mega rocket in Louisiana and Florida.