SpaceX Achieves Historic First Catch of Starship With Tower Arms

Clear Facts

• SpaceX successfully caught Starship’s upper stage with the launch tower’s mechanical arms after orbital flight.
• This marks the first time the company has completed a tower-based recovery of the Starship vehicle.
• The catch occurred one day after the Super Heavy booster was lost in the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX completed a major milestone Saturday when its mechanical tower arms caught the Starship upper stage following an orbital mission.

The achievement demonstrates precise control and timing required to execute the capture.

“Now everything changes,” a SpaceX representative stated after the successful operation.

The capture system uses two large steel arms nicknamed chopsticks to grab the returning vehicle midair.

This method aims to reduce costs and turnaround time for future missions.

“This is a historic first for the company,” said SpaceX officials following the test.

Mechazilla catches Starship! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on this incredible achievement! pic.twitter.com/YJzmGUZb2B

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 14, 2026

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