The “chopstick-style” pincer movement came during the fifth test flight of the launch vehicle, which also saw the spacecraft component fly around Earth and make a controlled re-entry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Dan Huot, SpaceX communications manager, said, “Are you kidding me? What we saw, that just looked like magic.”
Starship is the collective name for the SpaceX Super Heavy booster rocket and Starship spacecraft, destined to fly humans to Mars one day.
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While it first started test flights last year, it has never previously attempted to recover the rocket boosters in the manner SpaceX does with its smaller Falcon 9s.
The company had previously tempted expectations the manoeuvre could be pulled off, with Jessie Anderson, a senior manufacturing engineer, cautioning beforehand that “a lot of things have to go right”. In the end, the practice mission was a spectacular success.
“That hurt my brain for a while,” Huot said. “First ever booster catch – a major step towards rapid reusability and Starship gave us quite a show. Hey, Starships are meant to fly and it sure as hell flew today so let’s get ready for the next one.
“What a day. That’s all I get to say. What a day.”
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The flight launched from SpaceX’s Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, and also tested new hardware including a 12,000-hour replacement and upgrade of its heat shield, which had melted during a previous test.
Michael Brown, an associate professor from Monash University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said the return of the first stage booster was a “technical triumph that has caught public attention”.
“The test flight represents a milestone on the path towards a fully reusable rocket that can lift 100 tonnes of payload into orbit,” he said.
“SpaceX has previously recovered smaller first-stage boosters from Falcon rockets, which have landed on barges or concrete pads. In contrast, the Starship booster returned to its launch site, which offers the prospect of it being refuelled and relaunched from the same site.
“The reusability of Falcon rocket boosters has helped SpaceX reduce costs and dominate the commercial launch market. Increasing reusability and minimising the refurbishment required before relaunching could further reduce costs with Starship.
“This could open the door to ambitious space exploration later this decade and beyond. However, I suspect a fully reusable Starship will initially be used for commercial launches into Earth orbit, including vast satellite constellations.”
Starship’s first launch failed to reach orbit in April last year but surpassed expectations by crucially passing through Max Q, the period in which the spacecraft endures maximum dynamic pressure.
A second launch in November went one better with a successful first-stage separation, and the third launch in March 2024 finally reached orbit but without a successful soft landing.
The fourth launch, though, in June, was hailed by Musk as a “great day for humanity’s future as a spacefaring civilisation” after it conducted a soft splashdown for the first time.
However, the company crucially didn’t attempt to recover the upper stage when it executed a “flip manoeuvre” and came to a rest in the Indian Ocean.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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