Updated

SpaceX caught the upper stage of its Starship rocket with the launch tower at Starbase, Texas, on Saturday, 2026-11-14, after it returned from orbit. Ars Technica described the ship flying horizontally until three Raptor engines lit and swung it upright, then easing toward two waiting arms on the tower. The margins were very narrow, with two nubs on either side of the rocket each protruding only about a foot to grip the arms. The capture came less than a minute after the ship came into view, following a handful of practice runs into the Indian Ocean and a flight that had orbited Earth several times. Ar Technica said the return felt like stepping into the future and was a significant step toward a massive, rapidly reusable rocket. It reported that both elements of the Starship rocket have now been returned safely to the tower, which it called a proof of concept, while noting that reaching a high rate of success will take time. Ars Technica also said the heat shield is likely the hardest part of rapid reuse, and that SpaceX aims to launch far more often over time.