Elon Musk's SpaceX achieved a major milestone on Saturday, successfully catching its Starship spacecraft as it returned from orbit, marking the first time the company has recovered the vessel using its launch tower's mechanical arms.
According to AFP, the spacecraft completed a 22-hour mission that included 14 orbits around Earth and the deployment of 26 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink internet network.
After surviving atmospheric reentry, Starship descended toward the company's Starbase facility in Texas, where mechanical arms known as "chopsticks" secured the spacecraft above Launch Pad 2.
The successful recovery, accomplished during the rocket system's 15th test flight, represented an important advance toward SpaceX's goal of developing a fully reusable launch system that could substantially reduce the cost of space missions.
"That was the Holy Grail of space flight, plummeting through fire to be snatched out of the air by steel. We caught a Starship and now, everything changes," SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said.
Spectators watching from a nearby beach along the Gulf of Mexico celebrated as the spacecraft completed its landing.
Although SpaceX had previously caught returning booster rockets on three occasions, recovering Starship presented considerably greater technical challenges because the spacecraft returns from a higher altitude and at a much greater speed.
The spacecraft's return required extensive planning because its flight path crossed large portions of the United States before reaching southern Texas.
Engineers directed Starship across sparsely populated desert regions before guiding it around communities in the Rio Grande Valley and toward the landing site from the east.
AFP noted that the achievement could advance SpaceX's ambitions to use different versions of Starship for satellite deployment, orbital data centers and human missions to the Moon and Mars.
NASA plans to use Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program. Agency Administrator Jared Isaacman welcomed Saturday's achievement in a message on X.
"It was almost magic... Making more believers by the day... one step closer to (the Moon)," he wrote.
Despite the successful spacecraft recovery, the mission also highlighted technical challenges that SpaceX has yet to overcome.
The Super Heavy booster experienced a problem during its descent on Friday, forcing it to divert into the Gulf of Mexico rather than return to the launch tower for a planned catch.
The booster subsequently self-destructed before reaching the water, producing a fireball.
SpaceX must also resolve the challenge of transferring fuel to Starship while in orbit, a capability considered essential for future missions to the Moon and Mars.