Originally Posted by
ORAC
Starship: Catch & release - Though not planned for the first few launches, with the help of @LunarCaveman, I have put together this infographic explaining how SpaceX plans to catch the biggest operational rocket in history on future missions.
ORAC, quite an interesting graphic and complex sequence of events. I know Musk and SpaceX are fans of 'try it, see what happens, and learn from the wreckage' but this seems like many opportunities for things to end in tears. Eventually it may all seem routine just like bringing Falcon 9 boosters back. The first few attempts, though, were rather spectacular failures. Not a big deal to lose a booster and scorch a landing pad. It seems that a failure to catch a Starship booster could result in a much bigger spectactular failure and take out not just the booster, but also the launch/landing structure. That would be a rather big setback for future missions...
I trust that SpaceX has smart people who know what they're doing...