Starship's booster is caught by the tower
A 70-metre rocket stage returns from space and is plucked out of the air by two arms.
- When
- Known to
- ± 12 hours
- Era
- Contemporary, Holocene
- Where
- Boca Chica, Texas, United States · 25.9970° N, 97.1560° W
On 13 October 2024 SpaceX's Super Heavy booster flew back to its launch site and was caught in mid-air by the tower that had launched it, at the first attempt. The manoeuvre removes landing legs and the need to recover and transport a stage, and is the precondition for the rapid reuse the vehicle's economics depend on. Starship is also the lander NASA has contracted for Artemis III.