Writing on Twitter, the company’s CEO appeared to confirm the plan weeks after the FAA formally cleared the launch.
However, neither the company nor the government agency has publicly green-lit the exact date.
The flight will feature a next-generation version of Starship that Musk has previously revealed will be lighter, easier to manufacture and less susceptible to high heating.
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Starship is the collective name for the SpaceX Super Heavy booster rocket and Starship spacecraft, destined to fly humans to Mars one day.
Testing began in April 2023 when the spacecraft failed to reach orbit but culminated in an incredible “chopstick”-style catch of its Super Heavy booster in October, effectively making it reusable.
A sixth test last month was watched by President-elect Donald Trump.
“We will do one more ocean landing of the ship,” he said following the last blast off. “If that goes well, SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the [launch] tower.”
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SpaceX’s plans to catch both the rocket booster and capsule would make it fully reusable, a milestone necessary to bring down launch costs and pave the way for multiple crewed flights every year.
Meanwhile, the FAA is believed to be still considering the company’s plans to blast off the vehicle up to 25 times a year, significantly up from its current restriction of just five.
An environmental review released in November raised no concerns and stated that “all pertinent conditions and requirements of the prior approval have been met”.
It came after Space Connect reported last month how SpaceX was in contact with the Australian Space Agency in July to seek permission to land and recover Starship off Australia’s coast.
Emails released under freedom of information laws revealed the activity was discussed “at a high level” with Defence and advised that an approval process could take around six months.
It also detailed how a meeting was planned with the US State Department to confirm “government-to-government requirements”, alongside stating that both the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Airservices Australia would be contacted.
The news followed Reuters, the respected news agency, reporting that SpaceX was in talks to tow Starship over water “to a nearby port on Australia’s western or northern coasts” after splashdown.
If recovered, engineers would be able to better analyse the flight and make future improvements to its design.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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