BOCA CHICA, Texas — In what aerospace engineers are calling a historic breakthrough, SpaceX successfully retrieved the upper stage of its massive Starship rocket using the launch tower's catch mechanism during its 15th flight test.

The achievement follows a 21-hour orbital mission that saw the second-stage vehicle circle Earth 14 times at velocities exceeding 27,000 kilometers per hour. Returning to SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, the spacecraft executed a precise vertical descent powered by three Raptor engines before being clamped mid-air by the facility’s specialized structural arms—often referred to as "chopsticks."

While the companion Super Heavy booster experienced a guidance anomaly shortly after liftoff and executed an automated diversion into the Gulf of Mexico rather than completing its return to the pad, the successful retrieval of the upper stage represents a monumental stride toward full system reusability.

Advancing Toward Artemis and Global Connectivity

During its extended orbital trajectory, the Starship successfully deployed 26 next-generation Starlink internet satellites, bolstering the company's orbital broadband infrastructure.

Company executives and space officials praised the feat. Leadership at SpaceX highlighted the transformative nature of the milestone, while NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commended the engineering execution on social media, noting the rapid progress toward long-term exploration goals.

Measuring a staggering 124.4 meters when fully integrated, the third-generation Starship system is powered by a combined 39 Raptor engines. Its colossal Super Heavy booster generates roughly 8,200 tons of thrust, making it significantly more powerful than historical Saturn V configurations and NASA's current Space Launch System (SLS).

With this successful upper-stage recovery, SpaceX moves closer to validating the hardware required for NASA’s upcoming Artemis III mission, slated to test human lunar landing capabilities in low Earth orbit by 2027.

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