SpaceX catches Starship from orbit in historic first, loses booster

SpaceX has achieved a major milestone in rocket recovery after catching its Starship spacecraft with the mechanical arms of a launch tower following a 22-hour journey in orbit.
The achievement, completed on Saturday in South Texas, marked the first time an orbital rocket’s upper stage had returned to Earth and been caught upright by a launch tower.

However, the success was only partial, as the spacecraft’s Super Heavy booster failed to return to the launch site during the same mission.
The test flight, designated Flight 15, began on Friday, November 13, from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. It used Super Heavy Booster 22 and Ship 42, both part of the company’s latest Block 3 configuration.

All 33 Raptor engines powered the booster at liftoff.
Under the flight plan, the booster was expected to separate from the spacecraft about two minutes and 21 seconds after launch before returning to Starbase for a mid-air catch by the tower’s mechanical arms, popularly known as chopsticks.
The Starship upper stage was scheduled to continue into orbit, deploy its payload and return to Earth after circling the planet.

The booster, however, encountered problems during its descent. SpaceX said its engines stopped firing earlier than expected, triggering an abort, while engineers began investigating the cause.
The vehicle was redirected towards the Gulf of Mexico and performed a landing burn before its flight termination system was activated. It subsequently exploded before reaching the water, according to one account of the incident.
SpaceX’s own update described the outcome as an offshore splashdown in the Gulf.

The company has yet to publish a definitive explanation for the early engine shutdown.
Despite the setback, the spacecraft completed 14 orbits at an altitude of about 165 miles and released 26 Starlink satellites. Starlink is SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which is also available in Nigeria.
After approximately 22 hours in space, the upper stage returned through the atmosphere and was caught upright by the launch tower on Saturday, November 14.

The company celebrated the operation, describing it as an incredible achievement.
Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai also reacted to the feat, saying the moment still felt like science fiction.
The latest achievement builds on SpaceX’s previous success in recovering the Super Heavy booster. The company first caught the booster with its tower arms in October 2024, but the Starship upper stage had previously returned to the ocean rather than being caught.

The latest test is significant because the spacecraft faces a more demanding return journey. While the booster comes back within minutes of launch, Starship must complete an orbital journey before re-entering the atmosphere at high speed.
SpaceX hopes to make both stages reusable, allowing them to be recovered, refuelled and launched again with minimal turnaround time.

Such rapid reuse is central to the company's ambition to reduce the cost of space travel. However, questions remain about whether the spacecraft’s heat shield and engines can withstand repeated returns and how quickly the vehicle can be prepared for another flight.
The development also has implications for NASA’s lunar exploration programme. The space agency has awarded SpaceX a multibillion-dollar contract to develop Starship as a lunar lander, with a crewed Moon landing targeted for as early as 2028.

The spacecraft will require several refuelling operations in low-Earth orbit before travelling to the Moon. This means SpaceX must demonstrate the ability to launch and reuse multiple Starship vehicles and tankers efficiently.
Flight 15 was the 15th full-scale Starship test since 2023 and only the programme’s second trip to orbit, according to the Associated Press.

Although the spacecraft has made progress, previous tests have encountered setbacks, including explosions and engine problems.
SpaceX has yet to disclose whether the spacecraft caught on Saturday is fit for another flight or how soon it could be reused.
The company is also expected to investigate the booster failure, while the incident could attract regulatory scrutiny.