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SpaceX catches upper stage of Starship rocket in historic first
The milestone gives SpaceX a key step toward a fully reusable rocket system for Starlink missions and future NASA lunar flights.
- On Saturday, SpaceX successfully caught its Starship upper stage with 'Mechazilla' mechanical arms at Starbase, Texas, marking the first-ever midair recovery of the spacecraft from orbit roughly 22 hours after Friday's launch.
- SpaceX launched the 407-foot Starship on its 15th test flight Friday, aiming to recover both stages; the Super Heavy booster failed during descent and exploded after a forced splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
- The upper stage completed 14 orbits and deployed 26 Starlink v3 satellites during its 22-hour mission. SpaceX reported the spacecraft's heat shield performed well, validating critical reusability data.
- SpaceX's Kate Tice reported the Super Heavy booster's engines stopped firing prematurely, causing the guidance system to initiate self-destruction over the Gulf. Engineers are investigating the root cause.
- NASA targets 2028 for Artemis IV lunar landings, utilizing Starship for surface transport and crew delivery. The successful upper-stage catch validates reusability technology critical to lunar and eventual Mars missions.
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After more than 22 hours of flight, the rocket's upper stage returned to the space base in Texas, grabbed by the giant mechanical arms of the launch tower
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Total News Sources258
Leaning Left58Leaning Right39Center81Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Center
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources are Center
45% Center
L 33%
C 45%
R 22%
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