SpaceX's 15th Starship test makes history with first-ever tower catch

Texas: SpaceX has successfully caught its Starship spacecraft using the mechanical arms of its launch tower for the first time, marking a major milestone in the development of the fully reusable rocket system during its 15th flight test.

The giant spacecraft lifted off from the company's Starbase facility in Texas on Friday and returned to the launch site at around 3:20 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, completing more than 22 hours in space.

The mission aimed to achieve the first-ever simultaneous recovery of both the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft. However, the booster deviated from its planned return and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico following stage separation.

Starship, meanwhile, successfully entered Earth's orbit after performing its orbital insertion burn and deployed 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites.

After spending more than 20 hours in orbit, the spacecraft reignited one of its Raptor engines to carry out a deorbit burn before beginning its descent towards Earth.

It then approached the Texas launch site, performed a landing flip manoeuvre using three Raptor engines and was successfully secured by the tower's mechanical arms.

The achievement advances SpaceX's efforts to develop a fully reusable transportation system capable of carrying crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars.

With IANS inputs