SpaceX caught the Starship spacecraft in midair after its return from space / The propulsion rocket exploded during descent

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft was caught in midair on Saturday by the mechanical arms of the launch tower as it returned to Earth in Texas, approximately 22 hours after liftoff. It was the first successful capture in history of a Starship returning from space and an important step toward the company’s goal of rapidly reusing the vehicle at low cost.

The first-stage rocket could not be recovered. Its engines shut down too early during the descent, and the guidance system detected that it was not on the correct trajectory. The rocket was redirected toward the Gulf of Mexico and self-destructed, while engineers investigate the cause of the incident.

The launch took place on Friday from SpaceX’s base in Texas, near the border between the United States and Mexico. After separation, the spacecraft entered orbit, deployed 26 Starlink satellites and completed 14 laps around Earth at an altitude of approximately 265 kilometers. SpaceX announced that the spacecraft, including its heat shield, performed as expected.

The flight was the 15th of a full-scale Starship spacecraft and only the second to reach orbit. NASA welcomed the achievement, as it is paying billions of dollars to use Starship in the Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon. SpaceX intends to begin launching Starship from Florida in the coming months, while Elon Musk is pursuing the long-term use of the spacecraft for missions to Mars.