SpaceX catches Starship rocket booster for first time ever as it returns to Earth after launch

Summary

Cheers and screams erupt in SpaceX's control room as Starship's fifth test succeeds
For the first time, Elon Musk's company has caught the Super Heavy booster - which sits at the bottom of the two-stage vehicle - as it returns to the launchpad in Texas
It marks a huge milestone in the history of space exploration, bringing SpaceX closer to its goal of achieving rapid reusability

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Watch: 'Astonishing' moment Starship booster caught in mid air

Live Reporting

Edited by Emily Atkinson

Full steam ahead at Space X, after another record daypublished at 15:48 British Summer Time
Esme Stallard
Science reporter
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
People gather to observe the launch of SpaceX's Starship
It was another record breaking day for the team at SpaceX.
Its engineers achieved something never done before.
Rather than have the booster land in the ocean, as is typical, SpaceX managed to slow it from speeds in excess of 17,000 mph (27,350 km/h), guide it gently back to the launchpad and catch it in a pair of giant mechanical arms.
This is not only a step forward for the company but for the field of space exploration. Being able to capture the booster, and therefore reuse it, has the potential to significantly lower the cost of future trips.
It's full steam ahead at SpaceX.
We're ending our live coverage now. For more, read our main story on the history-making SpaceX flight.
Watch: Starship splashes down in Indian Oceanpublished at 15:46 British Summer Time
The second key part of today's test flight - for the rocket to splash down in the Indian Ocean - was also a success.
You can watch that moment back here:
Media caption,
Starship has performed a successful water landing, SpaceX says
From blast off to booster 'catch' - in picturespublished at 15:31 British Summer Time
Here's a picture timeline of the successful fifth test flight of SpaceX's Starship, from the moment it lifted off to the booster making its record-breaking return to the launchpad:
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
People await lift off near the SpaceX launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Onlookers capture the moment the rocket blasts off on their phones
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Starship fires into the sky as it starts is ascent
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
The booster begins its descent back to Earth
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Mechanical arms - called "chopsticks" - grapple the booster as it comes into land
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
The booster is secured - and cheers erupt
'Big step towards making life multi-planetary was made today'published at 15:08 British Summer Time
Elon Musk and SpaceX have grand designs that the Starship rocket system will one day take humans to the Moon, and then on to Mars, before returning to Earth.
Posting on X, Musk now writes: "Big step towards making life multi-planetary was made today," referencing an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal in 2011.
A day for the history books - SpaceX engineerspublished at 14:52 British Summer Time
"A day for the history books," engineers at SpaceX declared as the booster landed safely.
Here's a helpful diagram of the Starship rocket system, including the chopsticks sections that caught the booster.
The SpaceX team managed to guide the booster part of the rocket back to the launchpad where it was caught in a giant pair of mechanical arms - something that had never been attempted before.
Musk: Second of two objectives achievedpublished at 14:40 British Summer Time
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
People gather to observe the launch of SpaceX's Starship
"Ship landed precisely on target!" SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says, after Starship successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean.
"Second of the two objectives achieved," he adds in a post on X.
Rocket splashes down in Indian Oceanpublished at 14:31 British Summer Time
Breaking
Starship has performed a successful water landing, SpaceX says, splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
Again, cheers and shouts rumble through SpaceX's control room.
The engineers say they were not intending to recover any hardware from the ship, so another success for Elon Musk's company.
Image source, SpaceX
'Good morning,' says Musk after test flight makes historypublished at 14:19 British Summer Time
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX
Elon Musk has shared an understated message on X, following the successful return of Starship's Super Heavy booster to the Texas.
"Good morning," he simply writes, alongside a picture of the sun rising behind the booster, as it sits safely on the launchpad after its successful test flight.
Earlier, as the booster landed, he tweeted: "The tower has caught the rocket!!"
Media caption,
Watch: SpaceX Starship booster caught in mid air
Starship rocket booster successfully caught in world firstpublished at 13:39 British Summer Time
Breaking
Esme Stallard
Science reporter
Image source, SpaceX
That was absolutely incredible.
Starship's Super Heavy booster has made its first landing in Texas.
Screams and cheers erupted in the SpaceX control room as the arms closed around the booster, marking its safe return to Earth.
Spine-tingling stuff.
3, 2, 1...blast off!published at 13:25 British Summer Time
And we have lift off. SpaceX is hoping that this fifth test flight of its Starship megarocket marks a world first.
Follow its progress by hitting watch live at the top of the page.
Image source, SpaceX
Elon Musk's Starship rocket set for fifth test flightpublished at 12:57 British Summer Time
Esme Stallard
Science reporter
There's less than half an hour to go before SpaceX's Starship blasts off on its fifth test flight as Elon Musk pushes ahead in his quest to one day take astronauts to the Moon – maybe even to Mars.
During this flight, the SpaceX team will attempt something that’s never been done before.
Unlike the previous flight, when the booster splashed down in the Indian Ocean, it will slow itself down and descend gently back toward the launchpad for a pair of giant mechanical arms to catch it – in what’s known as the "chopsticks manoeuvre".
The difficulty of this cannot be overstated. Everything will have to go right.
Launch is currently expected at 13:25 BST. Get comfortable - it’s going to be a nail-biting seven minutes.
This page is stream only and there will be no regular text updates. So, to follow along, tap the watch live button at the top of the page.