SpaceX made an incredible advancement in capability Sunday morning when it launched its Starship rocket — and then managed to catch the Super Heavy booster in the “Mechagodzilla” claws on the launch pad.
The successful test launch — the fifth for the Starship rocket — included the first test of the ability to catch the 20-story tall reusable booster at the Starbase pad near Brownsville, Texas.
The Starship rocket separated from the booster and continued into space. It is set to travel halfway around the Earth and then re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the Indian Ocean.
During a previous launch in June, the rocket booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Sunday’s launch marked the first time that SpaceX has been able to “catch” the Super Heavy rocket booster in the “chopsticks” of at Starbase. Fans have nicknamed the tower and movable arms “Mechagodzilla claws.”