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BriefScience· Cape Canaveral, Florida

SpaceX Starship returns to Earth and is caught midair by mechanical arms

Giant mechanical arms caught Starship on Saturday at the place where its journey began 22 hours earlier, the Associated Press reported from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

By Northline Newsroom
1 min read

Reported by the Associated Press; SpaceX confirmation pending.

A large rocket standing on a launch pad beside a tall launch towerIllustrative photo
A large rocket standing on a launch pad beside a tall launch tower. Photo: SpaceX / Unsplash · Unsplash License

Giant mechanical arms caught SpaceX's Starship in midair on Saturday, bringing the spacecraft back to the spot where its journey began 22 hours earlier, the Associated Press reported.

The AP's report is datelined Cape Canaveral, Florida. Headlines on the story describe the moment as a dramatic first: Starship returning from orbit and being captured by launch pad arms.

The catch closed out a round trip of about 22 hours, ending with the spacecraft held by the same equipment at the site it had left.

SpaceX's own account of the flight had not been published at the time of the AP report.

Sources

Facts first. Context second. Sources always. This story was prepared with AI assistance from the sources listed above and reviewed by a Northline editor before publication. How we use AI · Report an error