---
title: "SpaceX Postpones the Starship Catch by the Mechazilla Tower: First Upper-Stage Catch Pushed Back by Several Months"
description: "SpaceX has postponed the first attempt to catch the Starship upper stage with the Mechazilla tower: instead of the upcoming 14th launch, the maneuver has been pushed back by several months. Ahead lies the spacecraft's first orbital flight."
date: 2026-08-23T17:33:30.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/spacex-postpones-starship-catch-by-mechazilla-tower
tags: [spacex, starship, mechazilla, elon-musk, nasa, space-launch]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# SpaceX Postpones the Starship Catch by the Mechazilla Tower: First Upper-Stage Catch Pushed Back by Several Months

![SpaceX Starship above the Mechazilla tower: postponed first catch of the upper stage](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/24/spacex-otlogila-zahvat-starship-bashney-mechazilla/spacex-otlogila-zahvat-starship-bashney-mechazilla-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- SpaceX has postponed the first attempt to catch the Starship upper stage with the Mechazilla tower by several months, without tying it to the 14th launch.
- The upper stage descends from orbit at a higher speed than the Super Heavy first stage, which sharply increases the complexity of the catch.
- The 14th test flight is expected within the next few days and for the first time involves the spacecraft reaching orbit.
- After the 13th flight in July 2026, the spacecraft retained its integrity, splashed down in the Indian Ocean, and was towed to Christmas Island.

SpaceX has revised its plans for one of the most ambitious elements of its full reusability program: the first attempt to catch the returning Starship upper stage with the launch tower's Mechazilla manipulators will not take place during the upcoming test flight. As company head Elon Musk announced, this maneuver is planned to be carried out "in a few months." The decision was made against the backdrop of preparations for the 14th test launch, which is expected within the next few days and in which the spacecraft will reach orbit for the first time, rather than the suborbital altitude achieved in all previous flights.

### What changed in the catch plans

Earlier, Musk publicly promised that the next, 14th Starship test launch would be the first instance of the spacecraft returning directly to the launch tower. However, these plans have been revised: the company decided not to risk the launch infrastructure in a flight with new parameters. According to available information, the reason for the postponement is not only the need for additional preparation of the equipment for the complex maneuver, but also the engineers' desire to obtain and analyze more data following the previous, 13th test. Thus, the attempt to catch the upper stage has been delayed, but not canceled — Musk continues to insist on carrying out the maneuver relatively soon.

### Why the upper stage is more complex than the first stage

This concerns the most complex stage of the transition to full reusability of the Starship rocket complex. To date, the Mechazilla tower manipulators have been successfully used to catch only the Super Heavy first stage after its return to the launch pad. The situation with the Starship upper stage is fundamentally different: it descends from orbit at a much higher speed, which multiplies the complexity and risks of catching the spacecraft with the launch tower. It is precisely this difference in aerodynamic and thermal loads that makes the maneuver a qualitatively new test for the entire catch system.

### Outcomes of the 13th flight and the fate of the spacecraft

In July 2026, during the 13th test, the Starship spacecraft, for the first time after an orbital flight, retained its integrity after re-entry into the atmosphere and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. This allowed engineers to obtain valuable material for analyzing the thermal protection, hull design, and the vehicle's behavior during return. As of now, the spacecraft has been towed to Christmas Island, and the company is working out the logistical challenge of how to deliver it to the United States for further refurbishment and a subsequent flight.

### Regulatory and programmatic factors

An additional factor affecting the timeline is the regulatory environment: SpaceX needs to obtain regulator approval not only for launches but also for the descent of spacecraft. It is not ruled out that the supervisory body's hesitation is also causing the first catch attempt to be pushed back. Meanwhile, progress in Starship testing is critically important for NASA's new lunar program, which itself is under pressure from China. Musk, in turn, states that the refurbished spacecraft will definitely fly to space a second time at the end of the current year or the beginning of the next.

### Contradictory data

In Musk's public statements on this issue, a discrepancy in timing is evident. On the one hand, the SpaceX head earlier directly promised that the 14th test launch would be the first return of the spacecraft to the Mechazilla tower. On the other hand, in his current statements he pushes the first upper-stage catch attempt "back by a few months," without tying it to the nearest launch. Thus, the earlier promise regarding the 14th flight is effectively not confirmed by the company's current plans, and both versions — "catch already on the next launch" and "in a few months" — have appeared in the public domain at different stages. SpaceX has not officially disclosed the final schedule for catch attempts.

### What's next: the 14th flight and orbital insertion

The 14th test flight is expected within the very nearest days, and its key distinction will be the first-ever orbital insertion of the spacecraft in the program's history. Until now, Starship had only flown to suborbital altitude, so the company deliberately chose not to combine the debut of orbital mode with the high-risk tower catch maneuver. This is a task with new parameters and, possibly, an unexpected outcome, and the attempt to catch the Starship returning from orbit will remain a separate, specially prepared stage of testing.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [SpaceX changed its mind about catching Starship with the launch tower on the next launch — the first attempt has been postponed by several months window-new](https://3dnews.ru/1147227/spacex-peredumala-lovit-starship-startovoy-bashney-pri-sleduyushchem-puske-pervuyu-popitku-otlogili-na-neskolko-mesyatsev) - Основной источник: перенос захвата верхней ступени на несколько месяцев, итоги 13-го полёта, планы 14-го орбитального пуска, заявления Маска.
- [Mechazilla's mechanical "arm" shown next to a person: SpaceX is preparing a new site for Starship in ...](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/06/25/mechazilla-spacex-starship.html) - Контекст по конструкции и подготовке башни Mechazilla.
- [SpaceX announced the date of the 13th Starship test launch — it will fly for the first time with a real payload ...](https://3dnews.ru/1145058/spacex-obyavila-datu-13go-ispitatelnogo-puska-starship-on-vpervie-poletit-s-nastoyashchey-poleznoy-nagruzkoy) - Основной источник: перенос захвата верхней ступени на несколько месяцев, итоги 13-го полёта, планы 14-го орбитального пуска, заявления Маска.
- [The world's most powerful crane has nearly finished building the first Mechazilla tower at Cape Canaveral for the largest ...](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/07/21/samyj-moshnyj-v-mire-kran-pochti-dostroil-pervuju-bashnju-mechazilla-na-myse-kanaveral-dlja-samoj-bolshoj-rakety-v.html) - Контекст по конструкции и подготовке башни Mechazilla.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why did SpaceX postpone the Starship catch by the Mechazilla tower?
**A:** According to available information, the reason is the need for additional preparation of the equipment for the complex maneuver and the desire to obtain more data after the 13th flight. The factor of regulatory permits for descent is also mentioned. The company decided not to risk the tower on the 14th launch, which for the first time involves reaching orbit.

### Q: What makes catching the upper stage more complex than the first stage?
**A:** The Super Heavy first stage returns to the launch pad and has already been successfully caught by the manipulators. The Starship upper stage descends from orbit at a much higher speed, which significantly increases the complexity and risks of a tower catch.

### Q: When will the spacecraft fly a second time?
**A:** According to Elon Musk, the refurbished spacecraft will definitely fly to space a second time at the end of the current year or the beginning of the next. The 14th test flight itself is expected within the next few days.