SpaceX’s spacecraft returns from orbit and is captured by launch pad arms in spectacular first

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s spacecraft made a triumphant return to Earth Saturday, caught mid-flight by giant mechanical arms where its journey began 22 hours earlier.

READ MORE: SpaceX’s spacecraft goes into orbit after booster malfunction thwarts dual capture attempt

It was the grand finale Elon Musk and his team were hoping for: the first-ever capture of a spacecraft returning from space. But with the explosion of the first stage booster shortly after liftoff Friday from Texas, the company failed to achieve its dual-capture goal, which still remains the goal of accelerating trips to the Moon and Mars.

The wreckage remained in the Gulf of Mexico, cordoned off by buoys, as the bullet-shaped stainless steel spacecraft lowered upright onto the launch pad.

The dramatic capture, worthy of science fiction, helped erase the messy failure of the booster. Cameras filmed the spacecraft up and down as it hung above the ground, supported by the arms of the launch tower.

“Can you believe it?” » shouted SpaceX commentator Dan Huot, dragging out each word. “Look at her! Baby, she’s back!”

Shortly after, Musk congratulated his “incredible team.” SpaceX officials said Saturday’s capture demonstrated the Starship’s full reusability, crucial for rapid and inexpensive recycling. Although Friday’s recall capture failed, the company had already performed three previous recall captures, validating the technique.

NASA welcomed Saturday’s news. The space agency is paying billions of dollars for Starship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon later this decade and help build a permanent moon base. Musk’s ambitions are even greater: he wants to launch a fleet of spaceships to build a city on Mars.

“It was almost magical,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said via

The world’s largest and most powerful rocket — a 407-foot (124-meter) behemoth — blasted off Friday afternoon from SpaceX’s Starship base near the U.S.-Mexico border. Separating neatly from its booster before things went wrong, the upper stage spacecraft rocketed into orbit and released 26 advanced Starlink satellites.

Starship continued to circle the world at 165 miles (265 kilometers), with live views of itself and Earth via Starlink. The spacecraft completed 14 laps around Earth, surpassing one to two laps from the previous mission.

It was SpaceX’s 15th large-scale spacecraft flight since 2023 and only its second trip to orbit.

SpaceX reported that everything aboard the spacecraft, including its vital heat shield, appeared to be working well.

As for the booster, SpaceX’s Kate Tice said its engines stopped working too soon during descent. The booster’s guidance system detected that it was not in the correct position and automatically initiated the aquatic detour and self-destruct. Engineers are still investigating the cause.

SpaceX plans to begin launching spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the coming months. It’s the starting point for NASA’s next Artemis mission, which will skip the Moon and remain in orbit around Earth for training on the lunar lander.

The four Artemis III astronauts will attempt to dock their capsule not only with Starship, but also with Blue Origin’s Blue Moon. The two companies will take turns delivering crews to the lunar surface. NASA is targeting Artemis IV, humanity’s first moon landing since the Apollo era more than half a century ago, as early as 2028.

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