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There's no indication that they are building any sort of structure to "catch" the first stage booster at the landing site. edit: It was pointed out that the in

There's no indication that they are building any sort of structure to "catch" the first stage booster at the landing site. edit: It was pointed out that the integration tower to the very bottom is a likely candidate. This seems right as the proposed launch layout is slightly larger given the larger size of the booster.

bdamm 6y ago
There is the "Integration Tower" structure at the south side next to the new orbital launch pad. If the plan is to catch and re-fly then that would make sense.
- altcognito 6y ago
  Oh excellent, thank you very much, that looks like it. I don't know why I was thinking there would be a "landing circle" there. Exciting, this is probably the next most fascinating development to watch other than the orbital piece. Everything else is exciting to watch as well, it's just that in terms of "things that are completely novel", these two things (catching the booster, starship coming back from orbital launch), are at the top of my list. I can't wait to see the first stage go off with its full complement of engines as well. That's going to be straight up incredible.
- baking 6y ago
  I think the first structure designed to catch boosters will be away from the launch mounts. The primary advantage of catching is eliminating the mass of the legs. Quick relaunch capability is just a bonus and primarily useful at offshore launch sites.
  - bdamm 6y ago
    It's possible they would build the "integration tower" first, perfect the catch, and only then build the launch mount.
svachalek 6y ago
Why would they? It lands under thrust like the Falcons, with two major differences: 1. it goes back to its launch area rather than merely going down as the Falcons do (why the Falcons need to land on a ship) 2. it's too heavy to get enough air resistance by falling vertically like the Falcons, so it does this amazing belly flop with a "flip and burn" at the last moment
- terramex 6y ago
  You are talking about Starship (second stage). Super Heavy (first stage booster) will not do belly flop and will use special "catching" structure, its details are unknown as of today.
- mohaine 6y ago
  I believe that need for the belly flop isn't due to weight but is needed for the higher reentry speeds the upper stage. The current F9 reentry speeds are nothing like what is needed for orbital speeds not to mention from Moon/Mars. If you are already doing a belly flop for reentry, you might as well do it all the way down to minimize the landing fuel penalty. For unmanned flights you can do it really late even if they crash at a low rate. I would expect manned flights to be less aggressive, especially near term.

bdamm 6y ago

There is the "Integration Tower" structure at the south side next to the new orbital launch pad. If the plan is to catch and re-fly then that would make sense.

altcognito 6y ago
Oh excellent, thank you very much, that looks like it. I don't know why I was thinking there would be a "landing circle" there. Exciting, this is probably the next most fascinating development to watch other than the orbital piece. Everything else is exciting to watch as well, it's just that in terms of "things that are completely novel", these two things (catching the booster, starship coming back from orbital launch), are at the top of my list. I can't wait to see the first stage go off with its full complement of engines as well. That's going to be straight up incredible.
baking 6y ago
I think the first structure designed to catch boosters will be away from the launch mounts. The primary advantage of catching is eliminating the mass of the legs. Quick relaunch capability is just a bonus and primarily useful at offshore launch sites.
- bdamm 6y ago
  It's possible they would build the "integration tower" first, perfect the catch, and only then build the launch mount.

svachalek 6y ago

Why would they? It lands under thrust like the Falcons, with two major differences: 1. it goes back to its launch area rather than merely going down as the Falcons do (why the Falcons need to land on a ship) 2. it's too heavy to get enough air resistance by falling vertically like the Falcons, so it does this amazing belly flop with a "flip and burn" at the last moment

terramex 6y ago
You are talking about Starship (second stage). Super Heavy (first stage booster) will not do belly flop and will use special "catching" structure, its details are unknown as of today.
mohaine 6y ago
I believe that need for the belly flop isn't due to weight but is needed for the higher reentry speeds the upper stage. The current F9 reentry speeds are nothing like what is needed for orbital speeds not to mention from Moon/Mars. If you are already doing a belly flop for reentry, you might as well do it all the way down to minimize the landing fuel penalty. For unmanned flights you can do it really late even if they crash at a low rate. I would expect manned flights to be less aggressive, especially near term.