Internet, Nov. 15: SpaceX has achieved a major milestone in reusable rocket technology by successfully catching its Starship upper stage with giant mechanical arms at its Texas launch tower.
The spacecraft, identified as Ship 42, was caught by the tower’s mechanical arms, known as chopsticks, at 2:52 am Indian time on November 15. The achievement marks the first successful tower catch of a Starship upper stage returning from orbit.
SpaceX Starship Completes 22-Hour Orbital Mission
Starship lifted off from Starbase in South Texas on November 14 as part of its 15th integrated flight test. It reached an altitude of around 275 kilometres and spent more than 22 hours in space.
During the mission, the spacecraft completed nearly 14 orbits around Earth. It also successfully deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites.
Mechazilla catches Starship! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on this incredible achievement! https://t.co/YJzmGUZb2B
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 14, 2026
Additionally, three satellites accompanying the spacecraft examined its heat shield and other components. Their cameras provided engineers with information to assess the spacecraft’s readiness for atmospheric re-entry.
After completing its checks, Starship performed a de-orbit burn and began its return journey. It controlled its speed and manoeuvred towards the launch tower before the mechanical arms caught it above the launch pad.
SpaceX has previously recovered and reused its Super Heavy boosters. However, this marks the first time the company has caught a Starship upper stage returning from orbit.
The original plan for the 15th flight test was to catch both the booster and the upper stage. However, SpaceX cancelled the booster catch attempt at the last minute. The Super Heavy booster instead landed safely in the Gulf of Mexico.
The latest achievement advances SpaceX’s plan to recover, inspect and reuse both rocket stages. Reusability could significantly reduce launch costs and support the company’s ambitions for future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
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