SpaceX successfully completed one of the greatest engineering achievements in the history of space travel on Sunday morning, launching the Starship spacecraft and then returning the Super Heavy booster used for the launch back to the launch site.
The 232-foot Super Heavy booster blasted off at approximately 8:25 a.m. ET and returned to the launch site within minutes, where it was caught in mid-air by two massive metal arms that Elon Musk’s company refers to as its “chopsticks.”
The company said it was a mid-flight decision to attempt the return to the Texas launchpad. SpaceX engineers could be heard cheering on the livestream as its host heralded the “absolutely insane” achievement, saying it “looked like magic.”