SpaceX does have one without the aerosurfaces and heat tiles, but that isn't the one lined up for the first launch. Ship 24 should be able to attempt the reentry flop-and-flip maneuvers, assuming the test gets that far. Last I heard, Elon was only giving the first test a 50% chance of getting to orbit.
The upper stage uses the belly flop maneuver and it has the fins for that. So they could go through the whole process as far as the vehicle is concerned.
SpaceX has one upper stage that they built without those fins. I was under the impression it might be used for the first flight, but someone else clarified that one is expected to fly another time, and the first flight is expected to use a normal ship capable of belly flop.
Yeah, there is some speculation on the no-fins starship - either it's a prototype for the nasa moon starship (which would need no fins as it's never going to be in the atmosphere again), or it will be a disposable one to deliver the first set of v2 starling satellites to orbit, with a better chance of success and payload as it won't have the weight of all that stuff.
The orbital tanker would likely come back, no? Just like the ships ferrying up the fuel to it. Once it's moved the fuel to the lunar ship, there's no reason to splash it in the ocean if SpaceX is already capable of landing Starships.
Upper stage has more control ability than the falcon 9. The belly flop testing proved this. They'll be able to bring it down for a controlled soft touchdown in the ocean.
What I meant is that they have one upper stage in their lot which is missing some parts, some of the important aerodynamic control surfaces for controlled reentry. But another comment suggests that while this ship could be flown soon, it probably won’t be flown on the first test. Instead, a ship with all of the control surfaces will be flown, and that one can do the bellyflop.
