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Context photo: A Falcon 9 booster with landing legs extended descends toward a drone ship at sea.
Science & tech

Does SpaceX Still Use Landing Legs on Its Rockets?

Published Checked

While SpaceX's new Starship system uses tower arms, its Falcon rockets still rely on landing legs.

The claim

SpaceX no longer uses landing legs on its rockets, instead catching them mid-air with specialized launch tower arms.
View original claim
Original wording

🚨 SPACEX TRIED TO CATCH A 70-METER BUILDING FALLING FROM SPACE - AND THIS HAPPENED Super Heavy booster coming back, Mechazilla arms closing... then fireball 🔥🚀 What most don't know: Starship Super Heavy = 71m tall, 33 Raptor engines, 7,500 tons thrust. SpaceX catch system = no landing legs to save weight - has to be caught mid-air like chopsticks grabbing a skyscraper. Fail = big boom but data = gold. That London account got 4M likes because everyone wants to see rockets get caught. They don't land rockets anymore. They catch them.

The finding

SpaceX does not use landing legs on its Starship rocket system (the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage), which are designed to be caught mid-air by mechanical arms on the launch tower; however, its operational Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets still use landing legs to land on drone ships or landing pads.

Context

SpaceX is transitioning to a mechanical arm recovery method for its Starship system.

Evidence

The Starship system's Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage are designed to be caught by launch tower arms, but Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles continue to use landing legs.

Analysis

The claim overgeneralizes SpaceX's recovery methods by failing to account for the company's active Falcon rocket fleet.

SpaceX has abandoned landing legs for the Starship program but continues to use them for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy operations.

Sources

  1. SpaceX will try for 1st Starship tower catch 'in a few months,' Elon Musk says | Space
    space.com

Methodology note

Sourced from Community Notes note requests (eligible-posts feed).

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