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SpaceX’s bullet-shaped, stainless steel Starship returned to Earth on Saturday, captured in midair by giant mechanical arms at the launch pad 22 hours after its journey began.
The recovery delivered the grand finale sought by Elon Musk and his team, marking the first time a Starship returning from space has been caught.
However, the company missed its target of a double catch after the first-stage booster exploded shortly after liftoff from Texas on Friday, leaving debris cordoned off by buoys in the Gulf of Mexico.
The sci-fi-like capture helped overshadow the failure of the booster recovery.
"Can you believe it?" shouted SpaceX commentator Dan Huot.
SpaceX officials stated that Saturday’s catch proves the total reusability of Starship, which is intended for lunar and Martian travel. Although Friday’s booster recovery was unsuccessful, the firm had already logged three successful booster catches, validating the technique.
NASA welcomed the achievement. The space agency is investing billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon later this decade and assist in constructing a permanent lunar base. Musk’s wider ambitions involve launching a fleet of Starships to establish a city on Mars.
