SpaceX achieved a major milestone by successfully recovering the upper section of its Starship rocket as it descended to Earth, marking the first time the company has caught the top portion of the vehicle during a return flight.
This story was first reported by BBC News.
According to BBC News, spectators at the launch facility in Texas erupted in celebration as the upper stage, known as the Ship, touched down. A commentator at the site captured the moment of triumph, exclaiming "Can you believe it?" as crowds cheered the successful capture.
SpaceX had set an ambitious goal for the test flight: to recover both the lower booster stage and the upper Ship section using mechanical arms mounted on the launch tower, which the company refers to as "chopsticks." However, the plan encountered a setback when the booster catch attempt was called off just minutes after liftoff on Friday. Rather than risk the recovery, mission controllers directed the booster toward the ocean, where it subsequently broke apart and ignited in a burst of flames above the water.
The Ship's recovery proceeded more successfully. The upper stage completed its descent and arrived back at the launch site approximately 15 minutes behind the originally planned schedule, touching down at approximately 15:27 local time (21:27 GMT) on Saturday. The mechanical arms deployed from the tower successfully captured the vehicle, preventing it from impacting the ground.
This achievement represents progress in SpaceX's broader effort to develop a fully reusable heavy-lift launch system. Previous reports indicated that SpaceX aimed to catch both sections of Starship mid-air during test flights, with such a complete recovery marking a significant engineering milestone. The company has been conducting a series of test flights to refine the rocket's design and recovery procedures, building toward operational spaceflight capabilities.
