SpaceX will for the first time attempt to return the entire spacecraft to Earth after launch into orbit.
The American company will launch its super-heavy rocket for the 15th time from a launch pad in Texas on November 13 at 16:45 local time (23:45 Berlin time). The flight could be a historic event as SpaceX hopes to return not only the Super Heavy Booster rocket to Earth, but also the Starship spacecraft itself. The assumption is that the two vehicles will be "caught" using the mechanical grip of the launch tower.
According to SpaceX's calculations, the accelerator will return to the launch point about 6 minutes after takeoff, and the Starship spacecraft will fly around the Earth at an altitude of about 275 km, complete about 14 orbits in more than 22 hours, deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites into orbit, and then begin returning to land.
If the mission is successful, it will be the first time that all the main elements of a rocket launched into orbit will be reused, the AP agency notes.