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 successfully completed its fifth test flight, achieving the unprecedented mid-air catch of the Super Heavy booster by "Mechazilla" arms, a significant step towards full reusability.
This milestone validates Starship's design for rapid turnaround, essential for its ambitious goals of ferrying humans to the moon (including NASA's Artemis III mission) and Mars.
Despite its engineering successes, SpaceX continues to face challenges with the FAA's launch licensing process, which the company claims is slowing its development pace.
Future development focuses on validating orbital flight and demonstrating in-orbit propellant transfer, crucial steps for Starship to achieve its lunar and interplanetary mission objectives.

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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.