At the beginning of 2025, SpaceX plans to carry out maneuvers never before seen in the conquest of space. It is planned to recover the upper stage with the Mechazilla launch tower. In addition, the company wants to test the transfer of fuel in space between two spacecraft.
2025 should mark a clear acceleration in the development of the Starship. From the start of next year, the American company SpaceX, which is developing this giant rocket, wishes to achieve two key milestones in the development of its launcher. Indeed, time is running out: the machine is supposed to be operational at the end of 2026.
First objective, which Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, mentioned in October: capture the upper stage of the Starship with the Mechazilla launch tower. In short, it involves repeating the same maneuver as that of October 13, when the first stage, named Super Heavy, was recovered in the air, just before hitting the ground.
Before that, there will be the reissue of this maneuver on November 18. If conditions permit, SpaceX plans to attempt a new capture of the Super Heavy with the launch tower. For several months, SpaceX had been preparing to reproduce this spectacular action, aided in the process by the prior blessing of the air authorities.
Reloading a Starship in space
The second level was mentioned at the beginning of November by Techcrunch. This time it is a question of carrying out a demonstration of propellant transfer directly in space, between two spacecraft. The information came from a NASA official. The American space agency is a very close partner of SpaceX on this issue.
This attempt is mentioned for the month of March, and will therefore take place in orbit around the Earth. According to this manager, Kent Chojnacki, who serves as deputy director of the Human Landing System (HLS) program at NASA, these tests should be completed during next summer, suggesting that there will be several.
Quoted during an interview with Spaceflight Now, Kent Chojnacki underlined the critical nature of such a capability. Recharging a space vehicle in space indeed opens the way to “ the ability to move massive amounts of payloads and cargo outside the Earth's sphere. »
In this scenario, we will be able to send much heavier, because the carrying of fuel will be less of a subject: it will only be used to send equipment or material into space, instead of also being used for transportation from Earth to the Moon (and one day, Mars). For this, vessels can be used specifically as “service stations”.
Beyond these tests, there will still be numerous steps to take and design revisions to be expected. The recent successes of SpaceX are able to reassure NASA, which wishes to use the Starship with the Artemis III mission, in September 2026. At that time, it is planned to land a crew of astronauts. And SpaceX will be in the loop.
