SpaceX recently made history with the launch and landing of its largest and most powerful rocket, the Starship. This historic event marked the seventh time the 400-foot tall Starship vehicle took off from the company’s Starbase location in South Texas. The launch took place at 8:25 am EDT on October 13, with the goal of returning the massive first-stage rocket, Super Heavy, back to its launch mount using the innovative “chopstick” arms of the launch tower.

The groundbreaking maneuver successfully captured the Super Heavy booster with the metal arms of the Mechazilla launch tower just seven minutes after liftoff. The precision landing was met with loud cheers and excitement from SpaceX staff at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

“This is a day for the engineering history books,” said Kate Tice, SpaceX Quality Systems Engineering manager, during live commentary of the landing. “This is ridiculous! In our first effort, we caught the Super Heavy rocket at the launch tower.”

The successful catch of the Super Heavy booster was an incredible achievement for SpaceX and a significant milestone in the development of the Starship vehicle. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hailed the event as a big step towards making life multiplanetary.

The Starship is a key component of SpaceX’s plans to enable crewed missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA has selected the Starship as its first crewed lander for the Artemis moon mission program, with the first mission, Artemis 3, scheduled for September 2026.

One of the key upgrades to the Starship ahead of its latest flight was a complete rework of its heat shield, which included replacing the entire thermal protection system with newer-generation tiles and additional protective measures. This upgrade was crucial to ensuring the safety and success of the mission.

SpaceX has been conducting test flights of the Starship to improve its performance with each iteration. Flight 5 represented a significant advancement in the development of the Starship, with the successful landing of both the Ship and Super Heavy boosters. The mission showcased the full reusability of the Starship, making it a cost-effective and efficient vehicle for future space exploration missions.

Despite the success of the Flight 5 mission, SpaceX faced challenges with the FAA approval process, delaying the launch of the Starship. The company expressed frustration with the slow pace of government approvals and called for reforms to streamline the process and maintain America’s leadership in space exploration.

Looking ahead, SpaceX plans to launch further test missions of the Starship to continue refining its performance and capabilities. The company remains committed to realizing its vision of making life multiplanetary and enabling human exploration of other planets in our solar system.

The successful launch and landing of the Starship on Flight 5 demonstrate the incredible progress SpaceX has made in developing advanced space technologies. With continued innovation and dedication, SpaceX is paving the way for a future where humans can travel beyond Earth and explore the wonders of the universe.