SpaceX has shared images, which you can see below, showing a spectacular close-up view of the Starship launch and landing on Sunday.
The mission involved the fifth test flight of Starship, comprising the first-stage Tremendous Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft.
The first video shows the 400-foot-tall vehicle roaring into the sky from the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, creating 17 million pounds of launch thrust as it goes.
View of the tower during takeoff of the fifth Starship flight test pic.twitter.com/BAtcod2EVD
-SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2024
The following clip shows the extraordinary moment when the 70-meter-tall Tremendous Heavy was secured by the launch tower's gigantic mechanical arms as it returned to Earth just minutes after deploying the Starship spacecraft into orbit.
The final phase of Tremendous Heavy's landing used the three central Raptor engines to precisely rotate to the capture position. pic.twitter.com/BxQbOmT4yk
-SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2024
And this rocket view shows the vehicle stopping on one of the arms.
Onboard view showing a closing setting on Tremendous Heavy when it contacts a stick closing beam pic.twitter.com/r1TVQEdITc
-SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2024
It was the first time the spaceflight company led by Elon Musk tried to catch it, and many doubted SpaceX would succeed. But in a moment of pure brilliance, it all came together as the booster gently descended before settling between the arms of the launch tower.
The achievement is a big step forward for SpaceX as it prepares the rocket for NASA's Artemis III mission, which will involve landing the first woman and first human being on the moon. On the mission, the Tremendous Heavy will deploy the Starship spacecraft, which will head into lunar orbit. There, two astronauts will transfer from NASA's Orion spacecraft to the Starship, which will then descend to the lunar surface. The mission is currently planned for 2026, although the date could be delayed.
Before that, SpaceX will continue testing the Starship, refining the technology that powers the massive vehicle in a bid to prepare it for Artemis III.
The Starship spacecraft could carry up to 100 crew members on a single flight. Elon Musk wants to use the vehicle for the first crewed trip to Mars, which could take place in the 2030s.