'Don't panic': SpaceX pens familiar message on Starship ahead of historic double-catch test flight
SpaceX has inked a familiar phrase on the Starship rocket that will fly a historic mission today (Nov. 13) — "Don't panic." And the company has invoked those words before.
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SpaceX has a message for itself, and for the spacecraft set to make history today (Nov. 13): Don't panic.
The company's Starship megarocket will conduct its 15th test flight this afternoon, a landmark liftoff that will feature the first-ever attempt to catch both of its stages with its launch tower's "chopstick" arms.
On Thursday (Nov. 12), SpaceX rolled the Flight 15 upper stage, a vehicle known as Ship 42, out to the launch pad at its Starbase site in South Texas to prep. The company shared photos of the move on X, and in two of those shots we can see some intriguing words inked on the spacecraft: "Don't panic."
The phrase is familiar to fans of Douglas Adams' sci-fi classic "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy": In the novel, the electronic guidebook that helps travelers find their way across the cosmos has "Don't panic!" on its cover.
Taken from Space.com's own summary of the story.
What question would you ask the space scientists?
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