SpaceX release tower perspective footage of Starship being caught mid-air

The world's largest and most powerful rocket has been caught by Mechazilla and its chopstick arms in what looks like real-life science fiction.

SpaceX release tower perspective footage of Starship being caught mid-air
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Junior Editor
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SpaceX achieved what previously only appeared to be possible in science-fiction movies with the launch and catch of the world's most powerful rocket, Starship.

Starship launched from Starbase on October 13, and after seven minutes of flight, the 233-foot-tall booster called Super Heavy descended back to the launch pad to be perfectly caught by the launch tower named Mechazilla. The tower's arms, or as SpaceX calls them, "chopsticks," act as support for Super Heavy as it slowly touched back down on the launch pad. The success of Flight 5 puts the company one step closer to achieving rapid reusability of Starship, which is a critical component in SpaceX's overarching quest to put humans on the surface of Mars.

To celebrate the monumental achievement of Super Heavy touching back down on the launch pad, SpaceX has released some video footage of the launch and catch that shows what both events would have looked like if you were positioned on the launch tower. It shouldn't be understated what an achievement this catch is, as Super Heavy is a 233-foot-tall rocket booster, which is the equivalent of a 20-story building, and at the time of catch, it weighs multiple tons. Perhaps an analogy that lines up with SpaceX's description of Mechazilla's arms is Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid catching a fly mid-air with his chopsticks.

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Junior Editor

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Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms.

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