In a historic test flight on Sunday, SpaceX made an incredible achievement by catching its massive rocket booster with giant mechanical arms. This was the fifth test flight of SpaceX's new Starship rocket, designed for missions to the moon and Mars. For the first time, the first stage of the rocket, called "Super Heavy," was caught as it returned to the launch pad in Texas, using huge arms attached to a tall tower. This booster is as tall as a 20-storey building, making the catch a huge engineering accomplishment.
The booster, which launched from SpaceX's Boca Chica site, sent the second stage of the rocket, known as Starship, into space before separating at about 70 km high. The Super Heavy booster then turned back to land. As it approached the launch pad, it fired three of its 33 engines to slow down, aiming for the same spot it had launched from earlier. The booster came down onto a launch tower taller than the Statue of Liberty, which has two big metal arms near the top to catch it.
The rocket slowly fell into the arms, which grabbed it by small bars under the rocket's steering fins. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed the success by writing on social media, "The tower has caught the rocket!!" Engineers watching from SpaceX's control center cheered loudly as the booster was safely caught. This method of catching the booster is important because it helps SpaceX's plan to build a fully reusable rocket for future space missions.
While this was happening, the second stage of the rocket, Starship, continued its journey at about 17,000 miles per hour, reaching a height of 89 miles above the Earth. It headed for a spot in the Indian Ocean near western Australia, demonstrating a controlled splashdown. Cameras on board showed a glowing pinkish color as Starship re-entered the atmosphere, covered by extremely hot plasma. This test aimed to improve on problems from SpaceX's last attempt in June when the ship's heat-protective tiles were damaged.
Starship landed in the ocean but eventually tipped over and exploded in a large fireball. It was unclear if this explosion was planned or due to a fuel leak. Despite this, Musk called the landing "precisely on target," and SpaceX engineers cheered in celebration.
This success brings SpaceX closer to its goal of creating a fully reusable rocket capable of carrying people and cargo to destinations like the moon and Mars. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved SpaceX's license for this fifth test flight just one day earlier, following delays and disagreements over launch permissions.