The SpaceX Starship lifts off from Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on October 13, 2024, for the Starship Flight 5 test. SpaceX successfully "caught" the first-stage booster of its Starship megarocket Sunday as it returned to the launch pad after a test flight, a world first in the company's quest for rapid reusability.

SpaceX caught a rocket booster on its Texas launch pad as it returned to Earth on Sunday. The chopstick-like arms of the tower, called Mechazilla, grabbed the descending 232-foot booster after a seven-minute flight.

Oct 13 (Reuters) - SpaceX in its fifth Starship test flight on Sunday returned the rocket's towering first stage booster back to its Texas launch pad for the first time using giant mechanical arms, achieving another novel engineering feat in the company's push to build a reusable moon and Mars vehicle.