SpaceX Catches Starship for First Time
November 14th, 2026Mechazilla catches Starship! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on this incredible achievement! https://t.co/YJzmGUZb2B
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 14, 2026
Via: Space.com:
SpaceX caught the upper stage of its Starship megarocket for the first time ever today (Nov. 14), a landmark achievement that could unlock the giant vehicle’s immense potential.
Starship launched on its 15th test flight on Friday evening (Nov. 13), rising into the sky from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas. The mission plan called for bringing both of the vehicle’s stages back to Starbase and catching them with the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms — an unprecedented total recovery of an orbital rocket.
That didn’t happen; Starship’s Super Heavy booster diverted to a Gulf of Mexico splashdown on Friday after experiencing a low-fuel alarm. But Ship succeeded in its attempt, notching a huge milestone for SpaceX and its dream of full rocket reuse.
