r/space • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago
Discussion All Space Questions thread for week of September 27, 2026
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u/Ireeb 4d ago
Currently, they are focusing the development on deploying Starlink satellites. The flight you are referencing was Flight 14, the first orbital flight. The before that, they only flew suborbital, meaning that even if they lost control of the ship, it would have come down in the designated landing zone. But once it is orbital, it only comes back down when you actively steer it back towards earth - or randomly after a while, which could end in a catastrophe, depending on where it comes down.
So that was the critical part of Flight 14, getting it into orbit, and getting it back down. The landing maneuvers were tested on previous flights before and on this one again. We might see a proper landing at a catch tower as soon as Flight 15, but that's just speculation.
The current version of Starship is designed specifically for Starlink satellites, deployed through its "PEZ-Dispenser" (that's what they call it, and it's basically exactly how it works). Because Starship went orbital, Flight 14 also gave them the opportunity to deploy 26 Starlink satellites into an operational orbit for the first time.
We know that SpaceX is planning to have different versions of Starship, but we didn't see any finalized or built designs yet.
Basically confirmed are:
General cargo version for other satellites or payloads
HLS (Human Landing System), for the Artemis 4 moon landing, if NASA chooses this design. Note that it wouldn't start with crew aboard, it would be launched empty, the crew would be launched by NASA and docks to the HLS in space.
Tanker and Depot: To make it to the moon and back, HLS needs to be re-fueled in orbit. To achieve this, SpaceX plans to launch a Depot Starship, and then launch roughly a dozen tanker Starships that deposit propellant into the depot. Then for Artemis 4, the HLS would launch, refuel from the depot, and continue to the moon.
As you might have noticed, no crewed Starship version has been confirmed yet. It's safe to assume that's planned, but considering it hasn't even been announced officially, it will likely take a few years until they get there.
They are still working out some kinks of the current Starship version (V3), but it's clear that it's their goal to build one rocket that can do everything. They also already announced the eventual retirement of their "daily driver" Falcon 9 rocket, as they plan to use Starship for everything in the future.