The 124-metre Starship rocket returned to its Texas launch site on Saturday, exactly 22 hours after its journey began.
The 15th test flight of the full-scale system lifted off on Friday afternoon from the base near the US-Mexican border. Starship circled Earth 14 times at an altitude of 265 kilometres while delivering 26 advanced Starlink satellites, according to Interia. This mission marked the second time the system reached orbit since testing began in 2023.
Mechazilla caught the returning spacecraft using its robotic arms for the first time in history in Texas. SpaceX confirmed the milestone on the platform X, stating:
“Mechazilla catches Starship! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on this incredible achievement!”
SpaceX failed to achieve its goal of a double catch because the booster exploded shortly after the Friday launch, WP Wiadomości reported. The company has completed three successful catches of the first-stage booster previously. Control teams directed the Super Heavy booster into a controlled water landing in the Gulf of Mexico near Starbase, space24.pl reported. The booster exploded just before hitting the water surface.
All spacecraft elements, including the thermal protection shield, functioned properly during the flight. The vehicle transmitted live video footage of itself and the planet using the Starlink system. Representatives for SpaceX said that the landing of the upper stage demonstrates the full reusability of the Starship system, which is intended for journeys to the Moon and Mars.
NASA selected Starship as the lunar lander for its Artemis program, providing about 3.2 billion dollars in support since 2021. SpaceX has invested at least 15 billion dollars of its own funds into developing the rocket.
Earlier coverage: SpaceX Starship Flight 15 Booster Malfunction Prevents Double Catch
