NAIROBI, Kenya- In a groundbreaking moment for space travel, Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully captured the lower half of its Starship rocket mid-air after it returned to the launch pad, marking a world first in rocket recovery.
This daring feat happened during the fifth test flight of the Starship vehicle, showcasing SpaceX’s determination to develop fully reusable and rapidly deployable spacecraft.
As the towering Starship booster descended from its test flight, all eyes were on SpaceX’s innovative system designed to catch the rocket mid-air.
The booster, known as the Super Heavy, was snatched by “Mechazilla,” a pair of giant mechanical arms that SpaceX engineers affectionately call “chopsticks.”
This event brings SpaceX closer to its goal of reducing the cost and time associated with space travel by making rockets reusable—a key factor in the company’s long-term vision.
For perspective, the Super Heavy booster stands at an impressive 61 meters tall, producing 7.6 million kilograms of thrust—twice as powerful as the rockets used in the Apollo missions.
During this test flight, many anticipated the booster might end up in the Gulf of Mexico, similar to the previous flight. But SpaceX surprised everyone by safely returning it to the launch pad, marking a huge leap forward for the company’s reusable rocket program.
While the booster’s return stole the show, Starship’s upper section, referred to simply as the “Ship,” achieved its own milestone.
After separating from the booster, the Ship fired its engines and smoothly landed in the Indian Ocean, meeting the second major objective of the mission.
Elon Musk, ever the showman, celebrated the success on X (formerly Twitter), noting the precision of the landing and adding that the mission exceeded expectations by preserving key vehicle hardware.
This test flight marks SpaceX’s most ambitious yet, but it’s not the first time they’ve made headlines. In a previous test, Flight 4, SpaceX managed to return the Starship successfully, although some damage occurred during reentry.
This time, with the safe return of the Super Heavy booster and the successful landing of the Ship, SpaceX has demonstrated significant progress toward its goal of fully reusable rockets.For now, this “day for the history books” as SpaceX engineers called it, solidifies the company’s place at the forefront of space exploration.
