[antubbs]

Can't speak to the plan for the second stage (which will do a once-around and de-orbit if I understand correctly), but the first stage will not be following a ballistic trajectory and re-entry like a normal suborbital launch. Its goal is to return to the pad a few minutes after launch.

[jlgreco]

I suspect they will still do a single burn somewhere around apogee of the first stage; if I understand correctly they are well into their gravity turn by the time it separates so they'll have some horizontal velocity they will need to get rid of.

Maybe they are going to push the gravity turn later into the flight so that the first stage doesn't participate in that as much?