Musk's space company catches spacecraft body with chopsticks on return

SpaceX has caught the Starship body with its 'chopsticks.' Elon Musk's space company SpaceX succeeded for the first time in recovering the Starship second-stage spacecraft (the upper stage that travels to space) using the 'chopsticks catch' method, on its 15th test flight. The spacecraft adjusted its attitude toward the launch tower while spewing flames, and then the two mechanical arms installed on the launch pad grabbed the vehicle like chopsticks and settled it into place.

The test launch took place at the Starbase space facility in Texas, United States. The spacecraft spent about 22 hours and 30 minutes orbiting Earth, deploying 26 Starlink satellites before returning. Its surface was scorched black from reentering the atmosphere.

SpaceX said the recovery "demonstrates the full reusability of Starship." However, the first-stage booster ran out of fuel during descent, shutting down its engines and preventing its return to the launch tower, so SpaceX failed to recover both the first and second stages simultaneously.

Starship is a 124-meter-tall space launch vehicle under development by SpaceX. NASA plans to use Starship as a lunar lander as early as 2028.