SpaceX launches Starship rocket and catches booster in giant metal arms

On Sunday, SpaceX successfully sent its massive Starship rocket into the sky for its most daring test flight to date. The company also managed to capture the returning booster at the launch pad using robotic arms.

Standing at nearly 121 meters (400 feet), the uncrewed Starship launched at dawn from the southernmost part of Texas, close to the Mexico border. It soared over the Gulf of Mexico, similar to the previous four Starships that were lost, either shortly after takeoff or when they were landing in the ocean. The most recent one, which took place in June, had the best outcome so far, managing to finish its flight without a detonation.

In this instance, SpaceX's founder and CEO, Elon Musk, raised the stakes and took on more risk. The company successfully returned the first-stage booster to the launch pad from where it had taken off just seven minutes earlier. The launch tower featured giant metal arms, known as "chopsticks," which were used to grasp the 71-meter booster as it came back down.

“Are you serious?” Dan Huot from SpaceX exclaimed enthusiastically while watching from close to the launch area. “I’m trembling with excitement right now.”

"This is a significant day in the annals of engineering," remarked Kate Tice of SpaceX from the company's base in Hawthorne, California.

The flight director had the responsibility to make a real-time decision about whether to go ahead with the landing, using manual controls. SpaceX stated that both the booster and the launch tower needed to be in solid, stable shape. If not, the outcome would be similar to previous attempts, landing in the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, everything was deemed ready for the recovery attempt.

After detaching from the booster, the vintage-style stainless steel spacecraft continued its journey around the globe, aiming for a precise landing in the Indian Ocean. The flight in June didn't quite succeed, as some parts detached during the mission. In response, SpaceX enhanced the software and made improvements to the heat shield, including upgrades to the thermal tiles.

For the past nine years, SpaceX has been successfully retrieving the first-stage boosters of its Falcon 9 rockets after sending satellites and astronauts into orbit from launch sites in Florida or California. However, instead of landing back at their original launch pads, these boosters come down on floating platforms in the ocean or on solid pads located several miles away.

Reusing Falcon boosters has increased the frequency of launches and saved SpaceX a significant amount of money. Elon Musk plans to apply the same concept to the Starship, which is the largest and most powerful rocket ever constructed, featuring 33 engines powered by methane on the booster. NASA has placed an order for two Starships to transport astronauts to the moon later this decade. SpaceX aims to utilize the Starship for missions carrying both people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, to Mars.