SpaceX recovers Starship with giant tower arms in historic first

This catch could make Sports Center.

SpaceX’s Starship returned from more than 22 hours in orbitSaturday and was secured by the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms after a controlled descent — the first time a spacecraft has been recovered this way from space.

The Mechazilla tower’s “chopstick” mechanical arms locked onto the top section of the Starship following its 15th test launch at Starbase, Texas, despite the lower half of the rocket exploding over the Gulf of Mexico shortly after liftoff Friday.

SpaceX's Starship rocket being caught by the launch tower arms at Starbase, Texas. — SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship returns to its launch pad to be caught by the launch tower following a test flight from Starbase. AP Photo/Eric Gay

Over 22 hours, Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket on Earth, completed 14 orbits around Earth at 17,600 mph — nearly 23 times the speed of sound — before returning for the first-ever catch of an upper stage from orbit, according to CNN.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk praised the team Saturday afternoon following the successful test.

“Congratulations to an incredible team at SpaceX!!” Musk wrote on X.

The launch system consists of two main components: the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage.

The company fell short of a double-catch achievement after the Super Heavy booster exploded over the Gulf of Mexico shortly after Friday’s liftoff.

The overarching goal of the Starship program remains accelerating future missions to the moon and Mars.

“Can you believe it?” SpaceX commentator Dan Huot shouted at the Texas launch site, dragging out each word.

The booster for SpaceX's Starship rocket descends with engine plumes against a blue sky during a test flight. — The booster for SpaceX’s Starship rocket descending during a catch attempt in Texas near the Mexican border. AP Photo/Eric Gay

“Look at her! Baby, she’s back!”

Saturday’s catch marked SpaceX’s 15th flight of a fully built Starship since 2023 and only its second trip to orbit — broadcast live via Starlink. The ship had earlier deployed 26 Starlink satellites.

NASA applauded the milestone. The space agency has contracted Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon later this decade to establish a permanent lunar base.

People watch a rocket launch from the back of a pickup truck. — People watch SpaceX’s Starship rocket return to its launch pad in Starbase. AP Photo/Eric Gay

“It was almost magic,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said via X.

The agency is shelling out billions to SpaceX to put Artemis astronauts back on the lunar surface by 2030.

SpaceX is also preparing to begin Starship launches from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the coming months.

NASA is targeting Artemis III in 2027 as a crewed Earth-orbit docking test with the landers, followed by Artemis IV in 2028 — the first American moon landing in more than 50 years.

With Post wires

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