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 is moving forward with plans to undergo the latest test flight of its Starship megarocket that will in the years ahead ferry NASA astronauts to the surface of the moon. The impending launch represents the fifth uncrewed demonstration of the 400-foot behemoth and will follow last-minute approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

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.