SpaceX Starship’s First Double Catch Is ‘Massive’ For Orbital AI Data Centers, Says Market Strategist

• Starship’s 75-minute launch window on Friday opens at 5:45 p.m. E.T.
• SpaceX is looking to catch both the booster and the upper stage of the dual-stage rocket at this flight test.
• As preparations continue, SpaceX has stated that it is looking to purchase roughly 1,200 acres of Texas Parks and Wildlife land surrounding the Starship launch and development facility.

Rocket manufacturing and AI company SpaceX (SPCX) is set to attempt its first recovery of both Starship stages during Flight 15 from Starbase in Texas, as early as Friday evening, a landmark event for the company’s broader ambitions of operating data centers in orbit, according to market strategist Shay Boloor.

“$SPCX is attempting its first double catch on Starship Flight 15 including the upper stage after 22 hours and 14 orbits around Earth,” Boloor, chief market strategist at Futurum Equities, posted on X Friday. “And if Elon wants orbital AI data centers to work at scale then making the entire rocket reusable is massive.”

Read Next

Tom Lee Says Jensen Huang's Return Would Be ‘Shocking’: Trump Reportedly Urged Him To Fight For His Job

Prabhjote Gill

Boloor was referring to SpaceX’s planned Starmind constellation, slated to operate as data centers in space by utilizing constant solar energy from the sun. The company has filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking approval to launch up to a million Starmind satellites, with the first set of launches expected next year. The satellites are expected to be launched on Starship, instead of the company’s current workhorse Falcon 9.

Starship Flight 15 Objectives

Starship’s 75-minute launch window on Friday opens at 5:45 p.m.E.T. Booster 22 is targeted for a tower catch roughly six-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. Meanwhile, Ship 42 is planned to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites, complete about 14 orbits, and attempt its own catch the following afternoon, provided it clears conservative system checks. 

The company has previously caught earlier-generation boosters but has never recovered the upper stage. Catching both the booster and the upper-stage vehicle will pave the way for full reusability of the vehicle, lowering launch costs.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas has called a successful ship catch one of the most significant catalysts in SpaceX’s nearly 25-year history, noting that Starship is the primary enabler for expanding the company’s connectivity and enterprise AI businesses, which account for the large majority of his $300 price target.

SpaceX Eyes Scaling Starbase

As preparations continue, SpaceX has stated that it is looking to purchase roughly 1,200 acres of Texas Parks and Wildlife land surrounding the Starship launch and development facility called Starbase. The company stated on Friday that it is not seeking to purchase Boca Chica Beach itself, which remains public.

Starbase was incorporated as a city in 2025 and serves as home to mostly SpaceX employees working on the launch vehicle.

SPCX’s AI Priorities Shift

The attempts at scaling Starship and Starbase come amid a reported shift in SpaceX’s AI efforts. According to a report from The Information, the company’s AI group recently laid off roughly 60 employees from the Grok Imagine video-generation team, leaving only a small group to maintain the product.

The move prioritizes AI coding tools and the Grok Bot agent, echoing OpenAI’s earlier decision to discontinue its Sora video tool over high computing costs.

How Did SPCX Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around SPCX stock fell from ‘bullish’ to ‘neutral’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume fell from ‘normal’ to ‘low’ levels.

SPCX is currently trading at around $140, above its June IPO price of $135 but below its all-time highs near $225. 

Read More: Tesla Pulls $42K Model Y AWD From US Website Amid Musk’s Pivot Toward Robotaxis

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.