SpaceX Completes First-Ever Catch of Starship Spaceship Returning From Orbit

The update

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft descended into the mechanical chopstick arms above Launch Pad 2 in Texas on Saturday, completing the first-ever recovery of a spaceship returning from orbit. The uncrewed upper stage had launched on Friday, orbited Earth 14 times during more than 22 hours in space and deployed 26 Starlink satellites before returning to the tower it left. The catch followed an aborted attempt to recover the flight’s booster earlier in the mission.

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Why it matters

Recovering the upper stage is a central step in SpaceX’s decadelong effort to build a fully reusable rocket system. Reuse could lower the cost of launching satellites and deep-space missions. NASA welcomed the result; the agency is paying SpaceX billions of dollars to use Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the Moon later this decade and help build a permanent lunar base.

What to watch

SpaceX and NASA will now assess the returned spacecraft and its flight data to judge how it withstood re-entry and whether it can fly again. Elon Musk sees Starship as key to SpaceX’s satellite business and ambitions to reach the Moon and eventually Mars. Further flights will show whether such catches can become routine.

Sources

• dw.com — confirms the catch at Launch Pad 2 in Texas, the 14 orbits, 22 hours and 26 Starlink satellites
• france24.com — confirms the successful Saturday return and first mid-air catch by giant robot arms in Texas after return from orbit

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