On Sunday 13 October 2024, SpaceX cleared a critical milestone in the development of its Starship launch vehicle. During the fifth integrated test flight (IFT-5), the Super Heavy main propulsive stage flew back toward its launch pad after separating from the spacecraft. In an unprecedented kinematic manoeuvre, the 71-metre vehicle performed a precision braking burn along a decelerated trajectory, allowing the two large mechanical arms (nicknamed "Chopsticks") on the launch tower to grab it in mid-air.
In plain terms
Bringing a rocket stage back to the ground normally means having it carry its own landing legs. SpaceX turned the problem around: it is the launch tower that closes two arms around the booster as it descends, like a pair of tongs picking an object out of the air. The stage therefore no longer needs landing gear — that is mass it does not have to carry — and it ends up sitting exactly where it will lift off again. The stated ambition is to fly it again within a few hours. The same test is a reminder that we are not there yet: the upper stage did achieve its precision splashdown, but it tipped over and exploded a few seconds after touching the water.
The flight at a glance
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Date | Sunday 13 October 2024 |
| Mission | Fifth integrated test flight (IFT-5) |
| Vehicle | Starship |
| Stage recovered | Super Heavy, 71 metres |
| Recovery method | Mid-air catch by the two mechanical arms ("Chopsticks") on the launch tower |
| Return profile | Flight back toward the launch pad after separation, precision braking along a decelerated trajectory |
| Upper stage | Ballistic suborbital flight, then a controlled and precise splashdown in the Indian Ocean |
| Fate of the upper stage | Tipped over and exploded a few seconds after contact with the water |
What the tower catch changes
This approach does away with landing legs on the launcher, cutting overall mass, and sets the booster down directly on its launch structure. The aim is to allow the stage to be reused within a few hours.
| Design choice | Intended consequence |
|---|---|
| No landing legs carried on the launcher | Lower overall mass |
| Booster set down directly on its launch structure | Stage reused within a few hours |
For its part, the upper stage (Starship) continued its ballistic suborbital flight and ultimately achieved a controlled, precise splashdown in the Indian Ocean, before tipping over and exploding a few seconds after contact with the water.
Sources
References verified during the August 2026 fact-checking audit: these are the pages
against which this bulletin's claims were cross-checked.