SpaceX Achieves Historic Booster Catch During Starship Test

Company successfully catches its Super Heavy booster using a pair of metal ‘chopsticks,’ marking the first time such a maneuver has been completed.

Monday, October 14, 2024 at 03:12 PM ET

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SpaceX caught its Super Heavy booster in midair using a pair of metal ‘chopstick’ arms, the first time such a maneuver has been successfully completed. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's Starship program achieved a major milestone during its fifth test flight, successfully catching the Super Heavy booster mid-air with "Mechazilla" for the first time, validating a key aspect of its full reusability design.
The Starship system is being developed for fully reusable transport of humans and cargo to Earth, the Moon (including NASA's Artemis III mission), and Mars, with the recent booster catch being a critical step towards this goal.
SpaceX continues to face regulatory hurdles, including significant launch licensing delays from the FAA and environmental scrutiny, which the company claims impede its rapid development and launch cadence.
Future plans for Starship involve validating orbital flight, demonstrating in-orbit propellant transfer essential for deep-space missions, and expanding launch infrastructure to support numerous upcoming test and operational flights.

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SpaceX’s Starship program—responsible for developing the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown—continues to make history.

On Sunday, Starship and the Super Heavy booster lifted off around 8:25 a.m. EDT from SpaceX’s Starbase launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, on the rocket’s fifth suborbital test flight. But rather than splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, as it did on the previous flight, Super Heavy was caught in midair by a pair of metal “chopstick” arms the company refers to as “Mechazilla.”

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.