SpaceX reached a major milestone on Saturday when its Starship spacecraft returned from orbit and was caught by giant mechanical arms at its Starbase launch site in South Texas.
It was the first time SpaceX had caught Starship after a trip around Earth, bringing the company closer to its goal of building a rocket that can be used again and again.
The spacecraft launched Friday from Starbase, near Boca Chica Beach, as part of SpaceX’s 15th Starship test flight.
The plan was to bring back both parts of the rocket: the Super Heavy booster, which powers Starship into space, and the Starship spacecraft, which is designed to carry people and cargo.
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