How SpaceX Landed A Rocket… Without Landing Legs. Catching a Giant Rocket With Giant Chopsticks

Today, SpaceX achieved a major milestone with its fifth flight of the Starship and Super Heavy Booster. Waking up early, I was excited to witness the incredible engineering challenge SpaceX set out to accomplish: catching the returning booster with the launch tower, aptly named Mechazilla. While SpaceX has landed many boosters on drone ships, this catch mechanism—grabbing the booster mid-air with small pins—is a new frontier, marking a huge leap in rocket reusability.

Early in the morning, I tuned in as Starship and Super Heavy ascended through the sky, glowing in the dawn light. The launch was picture-perfect, with stunning visuals of the plume casting shadows across the earth, thanks to the low angle of the sun. After clearing Max Q (maximum aerodynamic pressure), the stage separation began. For those unfamiliar, the separation process involves shutting down some engines while igniting others—a risky maneuver, given that slight errors could cause massive damage. Everything went smoothly as the booster began its journey back to the launch site.

Guided by grid fins, the booster aligned itself for a descent to Mechazilla. The descent happened at over Mach 4, far faster than Falcon 9’s return speed, making the final moments intense. At the last second, with a precisely timed engine burn, the booster slowed down, and Mechazilla’s “chopsticks” carefully reached out and clasped the rocket by its pins, capturing it for a flawless landing. The ground team erupted in cheers, knowing they had pushed the boundaries of what was possible in reusable space technology.

Meanwhile, Starship continued its journey, reaching high speeds before reentering the atmosphere. Despite a few damaged heat shield tiles, Starship’s descent demonstrated the spacecraft’s durability. Using atmospheric drag and its winged design, Starship slowed down gradually, ultimately touching down without incident.

This achievement isn’t just a victory for SpaceX; it represents a monumental step for space exploration as a whole. Today’s launch demonstrated that reusable rockets could return with even greater precision, opening new doors for cost-effective and sustainable space travel. For those of us watching, it’s a testament to how far engineering and vision can take us.