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SpaceX recovers Starship booster on first test flight

This means it can be reused on future launches, reducing costs and increasing the efficiency of space operations.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, carrying the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10, 2024. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

Launch of SpaceX's "Polaris Dawn" mission.AFP

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SpaceX on Sunday recovered the booster of its Starship spacecraft after a nearly nine-minute test flight as it was returning to its launch pad. It's an achievement that could be a decisive step toward reusability of the heavy launcher.

Before the "Super Heavy" booster touched the ground, mechanical arms installed on the launch tower, nicknamed "the chopsticks," closed on the device and immobilized it. The event was recorded in a video released by Elon Musk's company.

Recovering the booster allows it to be reused on future launches, which reduces costs and increases the efficiency of space operations. This test flight is crucial to validate recovery technology.

Billionaire Elon Musk's company aims to use Starship to colonize Mars, and NASA is closely monitoring the performance of these spacecraft, as it plans to use them to send its astronauts to the moon.

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