SpaceX catches Starship after 22-hour orbital flight in major reusability milestone

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The spacecraft completes 14 orbits of Earth before returning to its Texas launch tower, marking a major step towards SpaceX's goal of a fully reusable rocket.

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft has returned to its Texas launch tower following its longest orbital mission to date, completing a landmark aerial recovery of the rocket system's centrepiece vessel in the company's decade-long pursuit of full reusability.

The two-stage system lifted off on Friday from SpaceX's Starbase facilities on the Gulf coast of southern Texas.

Whilst the towering Super Heavy booster failed to execute a pad return roughly 10 minutes after launch—thwarting plans to recover both segments simultaneously—the Starship upper stage completed 14 orbits of Earth over more than 22 hours.

The return marks a pivotal engineering milestone in the multibillion-pound development of the spacecraft, which billionaire Elon Musk envisions as the primary vehicle for SpaceX's satellite network and future crewed voyages to the Moon and Mars.

During its mission, the spacecraft deployed 26 Starlink satellites into orbit on Friday evening whilst travelling at an altitude of approximately 260 kilometres.

On Saturday, Starship ignited an engine to begin its atmospheric descent, withstanding extreme friction and heat as its orbital velocity of roughly 27,360 kilometres per hour slowed to a supersonic glide above south Texas.

The vehicle then fired three Raptor engines to flip into a vertical orientation and manoeuvre towards the launch tower, where two mechanical "chopstick" arms clasped the hovering hull in mid-air.

SpaceX's current commercial dominance relies heavily on its workhorse Falcon 9, which has conducted more than 700 flights since 2010.

However, whilst Falcon 9 recovers its first stage, its payload-bearing upper stage is discarded in the ocean after every flight.

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