Key Takeaways
- AOL and Yahoo Finance report that Elon Musk said SpaceX will try to catch a returning Starship upper stage this month, but SpaceX has not confirmed this through any official channel.
- The same outlets state the Starship upper stage has never returned to the launch tower before, making any catch attempt a first for the vehicle.
- AOL's report says the attempt is pending regulatory approval, so the timeline could still slip; no specific launch date or license has been independently verified in the provided sources.
- SpaceDaily's coverage of Starship engine thrust does not independently corroborate the upper stage catch claim and should not be read as confirmation of the maneuver.
Background
Starship is SpaceX's fully reusable launch vehicle, and its upper stage has never returned to the launch tower before, according to the coverage cited here. A tower catch of the upper stage would extend what SpaceX has previously pursued with the Super Heavy booster: translating a descending vehicle from high-speed flight to a controlled approach, then using mechanical arms on the launch tower to secure it before it contacts the ground. Starship is the vehicle at the center of SpaceX Starship development and is intended to make full reuse economical, but the upper stage recovery sequence introduces different thermal and aerodynamic constraints than the booster. The booster has performed tower catches in earlier tests, but the provided sources do not state that the upper stage has done so; the AOL report specifically says it has never returned to the launch tower.
For readers tracking this program, the practical step is to monitor SpaceX's official livestream and the FAA's licensing database for the next Starship flight rather than rely on syndicated news. Secondary reports often compress the sequence into a single headline and can make a pending attempt sound settled. The AOL piece itself notes the flight is pending regulatory approval, which means the 'this month' timeline can slip. If history is a guide, the FAA's launch license and any related NOTAMs become the most reliable public signals that a specific date is locked; until then, treat any specific window as provisional.
The Latest Development
AOL news reportAOL reported that Elon Musk said SpaceX will try to catch a returning Starship upper stage this month. The report does not cite an official SpaceX statement or FAA filing, and the same absence holds across the other coverage provided. Yahoo Finance and Biggo Finance syndicated the identical claim, but none of these pieces quote a SpaceX spokesperson or reference a regulatory docket. Because this is a single attributed media report rather than an official company announcement, the 'this month' timing should be treated as unconfirmed until SpaceX or the FAA publishes something.
According to the AOL article, the next flight would be the first attempt to catch an upper stage at the launch tower — a maneuver the vehicle has never performed. The same article states the attempt remains pending regulatory approval. That phrasing matters: regulatory approval is not a formality, and SpaceX's Starship test campaign has repeatedly shifted due to FAA licensing. SpaceDaily's separate write-up focuses on Starship's 33 engines producing 74,400 kilonewtons at liftoff, roughly twice the force of the Saturn V, but that technical detail is unrelated to the catch attempt and does not corroborate the timeline.
No launch date, license status, or official SpaceX post is available in these sources. The Medium article linked in the provided set frames the next test flight as a make-or-break moment, but that is commentary and not sourced from SpaceX. In short, the only verifiable fact from the source set is that several secondary outlets are repeating an unconfirmed statement attributed to Elon Musk.
What It Means
Confirmed
Multiple secondary outlets — AOL, Yahoo Finance, and Biggo — have published the claim that Elon Musk said SpaceX will try to catch the Starship upper stage this month. The only truly corroborated fact is that these outlets are carrying the same attributed statement; no official SpaceX or FAA document confirms the timeline, regulatory status, or the existence of a catch attempt.
Speculation
The specific flight date, whether the FAA has granted approval, and whether the next Starship flight will actually attempt a tower catch rather than an ocean splashdown remain unconfirmed. AOL's report says the flight is pending regulatory approval, which means the attempt could slip beyond this month; no NOTAM, launch license, or official SpaceX update is cited.
FAQ
QHas SpaceX confirmed the Starship upper stage catch attempt this month?
No. AOL reported that Elon Musk said SpaceX will try, but no official SpaceX or FAA statement is included in the provided sources; the timeline remains unconfirmed.
QWhat would the Starship upper stage catch attempt involve?
According to AOL's report, it would be the first time SpaceX tries to catch the returning Starship upper stage at the launch tower instead of letting it splash down. The upper stage has never returned to the tower before.
QIs there a confirmed launch date for this Starship flight?
No specific date is provided. AOL's report says the attempt is planned for this month but remains pending regulatory approval.
QWhy is this catch attempt considered new?
Because the Starship upper stage has never returned to the launch tower before, according to the reporting. Catching it would require a different recovery sequence than the booster or a splashdown.
QWhere did the claim that SpaceX will try this month come from?
It originated with AOL's article attributing the statement to Elon Musk, and was syndicated by Yahoo Finance and Biggo. It has not been independently confirmed by SpaceX.
Sources & References
- AOL — Elon Musk says SpaceX will try to catch returning Starship this month
- Yahoo Finance — Elon Musk says SpaceX will try to catch returning Starship this month
- SpaceDaily — Starship's 33 engines push down with 74,400 kilonewtons at liftoff, roughly twice the force of the Saturn V that sent humans to the moon, yet the whole vehicle is designed to be caught like a
- Medium — Starship's next test flight could be its make-or-break moment
- Biggo Finance — Elon Musk says SpaceX will try to catch returning Starship this month
Information compiled from official statements and independent reporting, published August 20, 2026. Confirmed facts and unconfirmed/speculative points are separated above.
