SpaceX’s Starship captured by launchpad arms in dramatic first

SpaceX’s Starship ‌spacecraft has returned to Earth, caught midair by giant mechanical arms where its journey began 22 hours earlier. The spaceship emerged from a cloudy sky on Saturday, descending slowly over Starbase before slipping smoothly between mechanical “chopstick arms” above Launch Pad 2 in Texas – the first-ever capture of a Starship flying back from space. Soon afterwards, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk congratulated his “incredible team”. SpaceX officials said Saturday’s catch demonstrates Starship’s full reusability, crucial for rapid, low-cost recycling. However, with the first-stage booster exploding shortly after Friday’s liftoff from Texas, the company fell short of its desired double catch.