SpaceX Starship Flight 15: Ship caught by Chopsticks in historic first

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Ship 42 was caught at around 2:52 am IST after spending more than 22 hours in space during Flight 15, the vehicle’s 15th integrated flight test. It lifted off from Starbase in…

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft returned to its launch site in Texas and was successfully caught by the giant mechanical arms of its launch tower on Sunday, November 15, completing a milestone the company has been working towards for years.

The catch marked the first time a Starship upper stage had been recovered at the launch site after travelling to orbit and returning to Earth. It was a major step towards SpaceX’s goal of making the world’s most powerful rocket fully and rapidly reusable.

Ship 42 was caught at around 2:52 am IST after spending more than 22 hours in space during Flight 15, the vehicle’s 15th integrated flight test. It lifted off from Starbase in South Texas on November 14 and reached low Earth orbit at an altitude of around 275 km.

During its time in orbit, Ship 42 completed about 14 revolutions around Earth and deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites.

Three satellites carried cameras to inspect the spacecraft’s heat shield and other hardware, helping engineers assess its readiness for the return journey. Earth is seen from space as Starship makes rounds of it during Starship Flight 15. (Photo: SpaceX)

After its final checks, the spacecraft performed a de-orbit burn and began its descent through Earth's atmosphere. It then carried out a controlled landing manoeuvre and aligned itself with the Starbase launch tower.

The tower’s two giant mechanical arms, known as Chopsticks, successfully closed around the vehicle, bringing it to a stop above the launch pad.

The successful recovery demonstrated that Starship's upper stage could return from orbit and be caught at the launch site, an essential part of SpaceX's plans for rapid reuse.

SpaceX has previously recovered and reused Super Heavy boosters, but had never caught a Starship upper stage returning from orbit. SpaceX Starship 42 is seen on the launch pad after being caught by the launch tower. (Photo: Reuters)

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