SPACEFLIGHT
SF / M—001

Flight test · Record 001

Flight 5

The flight that brought an orbital-class booster back to its launch tower for the first time.13

Date
October 13, 2024
Origin
Starbase, Texas, United States
Outcome
Catch and splashdown completed
SF—001 Super Heavy descends beside the Starbase launch tower as its engines illuminate a cloud of exhaust. Documentary record
13 OCT 2024
Super Heavy approaches the launch tower during Flight 5. Steve Jurvetson · Optimized WebP · Display crop · CC BY 2.0 · Source ↗

Historical significance

A launch tower
became a landing site.

Flight 5 converted a proposed recovery method into hardware reality. Seven minutes after launch, the tower’s arms closed around the returning Super Heavy booster while Starship continued downrange to a controlled Indian Ocean splashdown.13

01

Mission profile

Key facts

Vehicle
Starship / Super Heavy1
Flight
Integrated flight test 51
Launch
13 October 2024 · 12:25 UTC3
Launch site
Starbase · Boca Chica, Texas3
Booster
Caught by launch tower1
Ship
Controlled Indian Ocean splashdown1
02

Sequence

Event timeline

  1. T+00:0001

    observed

    Liftoff

    Starship and Super Heavy clear the launch mount at Starbase.1

  2. T+02:4102

    observed

    Hot-stage separation

    Starship ignites its engines before separation while Super Heavy begins its return sequence.1

  3. T+06:5603

    observed

    Booster catch

    Super Heavy descends between the launch tower arms and is secured above the pad.1

  4. T+01:05:4204

    reported

    Ship splashdown

    After atmospheric reentry, Starship completes its landing burn and splashes down in the Indian Ocean.1

03

Technical reading

Engineering highlights

01

Demonstrated outcome

Tower capture

The booster used grid fins and engine burns to return directly to the launch site, where mechanical arms carried its weight after engine cutoff.1

02

Company ambition

Launch-site recovery

Catching at the tower is intended to remove landing legs and position a recovered booster near the launch mount. Rapid reuse remains a company ambition, not an outcome proven by this flight.1

03

Demonstrated outcome

Controlled ship return

The upper stage survived reentry and executed a flip-and-burn maneuver over the Indian Ocean, providing another full-scale test of its heat shield and control system.1

04 / Assessment

Outcome

Catch and splashdown completed

Super Heavy returned to the launch site and was caught by the tower. Starship completed its planned ascent and coast, then made a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.13

Legacy

The catch demonstrated a central element of SpaceX’s proposed reuse architecture: recovering the booster at the launch mount without landing legs. One test did not establish routine reuse, but it removed a major question about whether the maneuver was physically achievable.

05

Visual record

Gallery

Documentary photographs by Steve Jurvetson, published under CC BY 2.0. Each frame links to its license and original Wikimedia Commons record.

SF—002 Starship ascends through a deep blue sky above a long orange exhaust plume. Documentary record
13 OCT 2024
Starship climbs away from Starbase on its fifth integrated flight test. Steve Jurvetson · Optimized WebP · Display crop · CC BY 2.0 · Source ↗
SF—003 Starship stands beside its launch tower as orange engine flame and white exhaust spread across the pad. Documentary record
13 OCT 2024
Thirty-three Raptor engines ignite beneath Super Heavy at liftoff. Steve Jurvetson · Optimized WebP · Display crop · CC BY 2.0 · Source ↗
SF—004 The recovered Super Heavy booster hangs between the launch tower arms against a pink morning sky. Documentary record
13 OCT 2024
Super Heavy secured at the tower after the first catch. Steve Jurvetson · Optimized WebP · Display crop · CC BY 2.0 · Source ↗
06

Research record

Sources

  1. 01
    Starship’s Fifth Flight Test ↗

    SpaceX · Published 2024-10-13 · Accessed 2026-07-22

    primary
  2. 02
    Starship | Fifth Flight Test ↗

    SpaceX · Published 2024-11-06 · Accessed 2026-07-22

    primary
  3. 03
    Jonathan's Space Report No. 838 ↗

    Jonathan's Space Report · Published 2024-10-25 · Accessed 2026-07-22

    reference
  4. 04
    Starship ↗

    SpaceX · Published · Accessed 2026-07-22

    primary