Elon Musk has expressed his delight after his SpaceX programme successfully returned its fifth Starship test flight to its Texas launch pad.
The test flight on Sunday marked the first time the rocket’s towering first stage booster returned using giant metal arms.
It is the latest engineering milestone in the company's efforts to develop a reusable vehicle for missions to the moon and Mars.
The rocket's first stage, the "Super Heavy" booster, lifted off at 7.25am CT from SpaceX's Boca Chica launch facilities in Texas, sending the Starship second stage rocket towards space before separating at an altitude of roughly 70km to begin its descent.
The Super Heavy booster re-ignited three of its 33 Raptor engines to slow its rapid descent back to SpaceX's launch site, aiming for the launch tower from which it had taken off. This tower is equipped with two large metal arms.
With its engines roaring, the 71m-tall Super Heavy booster descended into the launch tower's arms, securing itself in place with its four forward grid fins which it used to steer through the air.
Starship rocket booster caught by tower pic.twitter.com/aOQmSkt6YE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 13, 2024
"The tower has caught the rocket!!" Mr Musk tweeted after the catch attempt.
The novel catch-landing method is the latest advance in Space X's test-to-failure development campaign for a fully reusable rocket designed to loft more cargo into orbit, ferry humans to the moon for NASA and eventually reach Mars - the ultimate destination envisioned by the chief executive, Mr Musk.
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday approved SpaceX's launch license for the Starship test, following weeks of tension between the company and its regulator over the pace of launch approvals and fines related to SpaceX's workhorse rocket, the Falcon 9.
Starship, first unveiled by Musk in 2017, has exploded several times in various stages of testing on past flights, but successfully completed a full flight in June for the first time.
The two-stage rocket's Super Heavy booster lifted off from Texas sending the second stage - Starship - on a near-orbital path bound for the Indian Ocean some 90 minutes later, acing a fiery hypersonic reentry.
It has been a busy week for Mr Musk, who emphatically and gleefully shared his fully-fledged support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday, October 5.
Having previously stayed in the political shadows, he was glowing in his endorsement for the former president as he addressed a crowd in Pennsylvania.
“As you can see I am not just MAGA — I am Dark MAGA,” said Mr Musk, proudly wearing a Make America Great Again hat.”
“[Democrats want] to take away your freedom of speech, they want to take away your right to bear arms, they want to take away your right to vote, effectively,” he added.
He also said it would be the “last election” if Mr Trump doesn’t win.
