SpaceX still NO Plan to Catch Super Heavy after Two Starship V3 Launches, why? Is this a Setback?

SpaceX still NO Plan to Catch Super Heavy after Two Starship V3 Launches, why? Is this a Setback?
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#greatspacex #elonmusk #spacex #nasa
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00:00 No catching booster on Flight 14
00:42 Why won’t B21 be caught?
04:43 Is this a setback?
08:17 The competition in the reusability race
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SpaceX still NO Plan to Catch Super Heavy after Two Starship V3 Launches, why? Is this a Setback?
There will be no Ship catch attempt on Flight 14.
So, what does that mean for the Super Heavy booster?
Right now, two possibilities remain.
But increasingly, the no-catch scenario looks like the most likely outcome.
So what changed?
Why is SpaceX seemingly backing away from a tower catch?
And if the Ship isn't being caught, could the Booster still make it into the tower?
Let's break down the clues in today's episode.
But before we begin, let me know what you think:
Will SpaceX attempt a Booster catch on Flight 14, or play it safe and focus entirely on the mission?
SpaceX still NO Plan to Catch Super Heavy after Two Starship V3 Launches, why? Is this a Setback?
We are now in the final days before Starship Flight 14.
This could be one of the most important flights in Starship's development so far.
For the first time, Super Heavy and Ship are expected to work together on a mission designed to reach orbit.
But what happens after that?
A Ship catch has already been ruled out for this first orbital attempt.
That leaves the Super Heavy booster as the obvious candidate.
Yet even after two V3 flights, five Starship flights, and more than a year and a half since the last booster catch on Flight 8 on March 6, 2025, we may still not see a catch attempt on Flight 14.
And to be clear, SpaceX hasn't officially announced that.
But based on the evidence so far, a no-catch scenario increasingly looks more likely.
SpaceX still NO Plan to Catch Super Heavy after Two Starship V3 Launches, why? Is this a Setback?
So, why?
There were actually several reasons to believe SpaceX might attempt to catch B21.
First, when SpaceX ruled out a Ship catch, it didn't specifically rule out catching the Booster.
Second, with only one operational launch tower, prioritizing the Ship's orbital mission could leave the Booster as the logical candidate for recovery.
And catching the Booster first would make sense as a stepping stone toward eventually catching the Ship.
Then came an important clue.
An FCC document for Flight 14 appeared to indicate a booster landing attempt at the launch site.
More recently, the Chopsticks and landing rails have also shown continuous movement, suggesting SpaceX is actively exercising the tower systems.
Put together, those clues made a booster catch seem entirely possible.
But there's one major problem:
The last two V3 flights.
On Flight 12, Booster 19 suffered an engine failure shortly after liftoff.
After separation, the flip became unstable, and only one engine successfully relit for the landing burn.
The Booster couldn't generate enough thrust and ultimately impacted the ocean.
Then came Flight 13.
Booster 20 performed better during ascent and boostback, but the landing sequence again suffered from insufficient engine relights.
Once again, the Booster failed to slow down enough for a controlled landing and was destroyed on impact.
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