Get the latest tech news

SpaceX pulls off unprecedented feat, grabs descending rocket with mechanical arms

The successful capture of the returning Super Heavy rocket with giant mechanical arms is a key element in SpaceX's goal of "rapid reusability"

SpaceX But no such problems were detected and the Super Heavy continued toward its launch pad, descending and then slowing to a near hover between the two mechanical arms, which then moved in to grab the rocket as its engines shut down. The remarkable capture, a key element in SpaceX founder Elon Musk's drive to achieve "rapid reusability," came as the Starship upper stage was still heading to space and splashdown in the Indian Ocean, simulating a touchdown on shore or, eventually, on the moon or Mars. Snatching the 230-foot-tall Super Heavy out of the sky with mechanical arms as the rocket descends and hovers right beside its launch gantry seemed an outlandish idea when it was first proposed during the booster's initial development.

Get the Android app