Elon Musk’s SpaceX continues to prove the feasibility of its Starship vehicle as it successfully completed the first ever launch tower recovery of the orbiter on Saturday.
For the first time ever, SpaceX recovered Starship by catching it at the launch tower in South Texas on Saturday. https://t.co/rJebeicLtH
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 14, 2026
SpaceX successfully catches Starship with its launch tower for the first time in history. Follow: @AFpost https://t.co/CRUKTLyJt5
— AF Post (@AFpost) November 14, 2026
BREAKING: SpaceX makes history by catching Starship with its launch tower instead of landing it on the ground https://t.co/IAu7QJYgDs
— Kalshi (@Kalshi) November 14, 2026
Starship 15 launched Friday afternoon to reach orbit before deploying numerous Starlink satellites. After nearly a day in space, the vehicle then returned to Earth, where the company successfully executed a catch. The booster, which was initially intended to return to the launch site as well, instead crashed into the ocean after failing to meet the automated return criteria.
SpaceX's attempt to recover its entire Starship back at the launch pad was thwarted when the booster fell into the Gulf of Mexico and exploded Friday, but the spacecraft still soared into orbit in its boldest test yet. Read more: https://t.co/kGOLHfNTYm https://t.co/azY84PlksJ
— ABC News (@ABC) November 14, 2026
Musk has stated that the reason for the diversion was because the booster was low on fuel.
The success will give hope to NASA officials who are aiming for an ambitious June 2027 timeline for the Artemis III mission to test the docking capabilities of the ship in orbit. If successful, America’s return to the Moon is slated for 2028.