SpaceX successfully caught the Super Heavy booster of its Starship rocket using mechanical arms during a flight test on Oct. 13, 2024 [1].
This achievement marks a critical step toward creating a fully and rapidly reusable spacecraft. By returning the booster to the launch site rather than the ocean, the company can significantly reduce the time and cost between missions.
The flight took place at Starbase, Texas [2]. According to the company, the mission involved a successful liftoff, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and landing burn [1]. The primary objective was to demonstrate techniques fundamental to the reusable design of both Starship and the Super Heavy booster [1].
As the booster returned to the launch pad, the mechanical arms—known as "Mechazilla"—closed around the vehicle to secure it [1]. SpaceX said, "And on our first try, Mechazilla caught the booster" [1].
This was the fifth flight test [1] for the system. The mission's success confirms that the towering first-stage booster can be returned to the launch pad for the first time using these giant mechanical arms [3].
The company's approach to recovery differs from previous rocket landings that relied on landing legs. The use of mechanical arms allows the rocket to be captured mid-air, potentially allowing for faster refurbishment and relaunch of the hardware [1].
“"And on our first try, Mechazilla caught the booster."”
The successful capture of the Super Heavy booster validates a high-risk engineering approach to rocket recovery. By eliminating the need for landing legs and utilizing a launch-tower capture system, SpaceX moves closer to a turnaround time for rockets that resembles aircraft operations, which is essential for the economic viability of frequent deep-space missions.
