Hacker News

Favorites Setup
Comment by chinabot | original | SpaceX catches the Starship to end Flight 15
[−]chinabot · 2026-11-14 Sat 23:28 UTC · link
They need another cheaper tower just for catching. Much less mass when landing.
[−]ggreer · 2026-11-14 Sat 23:44 UTC · link
The existing towers can only handle empty ships & boosters. The tower stacks them, then they’re fueled. A catch-only tower would avoid some cladding and the propellant loading lines, but it would still need a deluge system and a QD arm to replace any remaining propellant with inert gas. At that point you might as well pay a little more and get a fully capable tower.