The upper-stage spacecraft returned after 22 hours in orbit, although the failure of its booster prevented the complete recovery SpaceX had sought

STARBASE, Texas — International TECH NEWS – SpaceX caught a returning Starship spacecraft with the mechanical arms of its Texas launch tower Saturday, completing the first such recovery of an upper stage after an orbital flight.

The spacecraft returned to its launch site after approximately 22 hours and 14 orbits around Earth. It descended vertically before the tower’s two large arms closed around it, a manoeuvre intended to eliminate the need for landing legs and speed preparations for future flights.

Flight 15 also deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX said the spacecraft’s heat shield and other critical systems performed well during the mission.

The company did not achieve its planned double recovery. Super Heavy, Starship’s first-stage booster, developed trouble during its return shortly after Friday’s launch. SpaceX said the booster’s engines stopped firing too soon, prompting its guidance system to divert it toward the Gulf of Mexico before it was destroyed. Engineers are investigating the cause.

The result is therefore an important step toward full reusability, rather than proof that the entire launch system can yet be recovered reliably. SpaceX has caught Super Heavy boosters on three previous flights, but had never recovered the Starship upper stage at the tower.

The 124-metre rocket is central to SpaceX’s plans for frequent, lower-cost launches. NASA is also relying on a modified Starship to carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface under the Artemis program.

Saturday’s flight was the 15th full-scale Starship test since 2023 and only the spacecraft’s second trip to orbit. SpaceX plans to begin Starship launches from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center as the program moves toward lunar missions.

Sources: SpaceX Flight 15 mission page;