Elon Musk jubilant as SpaceX Starship makes flawless flight, splash-down — and a first-ever ‘Mechazilla’ booster recovery

Incredible photos showed Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship perform its breakthrough “belly flop” maneuver as it splashed down in the Indian Ocean Sunday morning. And that wasn’t even the coolest part of the test flight.

The perfectly executed landing followed the Starship’s 232-foot Falcon Super Heavy booster rocket gracefully returning to the launchpad seven minutes after launch, where it was “caught” by a pair of enormous mechanical arms nicknamed “Mechazilla.” More...

The tower has caught the rocket!!
pic.twitter.com/CPXsHJBdUh

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 13, 2024

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