SpaceX Achieves Historic First: Starship Upper-Stage Captured by Launchpad Arms

In a dramatic first, SpaceX's Starship spacecraft has returned to Earth, caught midair by giant mechanical arms at the very location where its journey began 22 hours prior. On Saturday, the vessel emerged from a cloudy sky over Starbase, Texas, descending slowly before slipping smoothly between the mechanical "chopstick arms" above Launch Pad 2.

Following the successful capture, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk congratulated his "incredible team." SpaceX officials stated that this achievement demonstrates the full reusability of Starship, which is essential for rapid and low-cost recycling of spacecraft.

Despite the success of the upper-stage, the mission encountered setbacks. The first-stage booster exploded shortly after Friday's liftoff from Texas, preventing the company from achieving a double catch. While the booster's guidance system triggered a watery detour and self-destruction after sensing it was out of position, the upper-stage spacecraft had already separated neatly, soared into orbit, and released 26 advanced Starlink satellites.

SpaceX's Kate Tice noted that the engines stopped firing too soon during the descent. Engineers are currently investigating the cause of the booster's failure. However, the company has already validated the technique through three previous booster catches.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the event as "almost magic" on X, welcoming the achievement. NASA is investing billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the Moon later this decade.

During this 15th test flight since 2023, Starship completed 14 laps around the Earth at an altitude of 265km (165 miles), significantly outperforming previous missions. SpaceX reported that all systems, including the critical heat shield, functioned well. As the world's largest and most powerful rocket, the 124-metre (407ft) behemoth is designed for travel to the Moon and Mars. SpaceX expects to begin launches from Florida's Kennedy Space Center in the coming months.