SpaceX catches Starship upper stage in first orbital return
SpaceX caught Ship 42 with the Starbase tower arms about 22.5 hours after liftoff, the first time a spacecraft has returned from orbit and been caught.
22.5 hoursTime from liftoff to Ship 42 catch
What we know
Ship 42 was caught at Starbase around 4:20pm ET. SpaceX congratulated its team on the catch. Walter Isaacson called it a bigger deal for humanity than most realise, and a heatshield engineer reflected on years of work.
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@wallstengine
“SPACEX MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST STARSHIP UPPER-STAGE TOWER CATCH”
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