SpaceX achieves historic mid-air capture of Starship upper stage in Texas
SpaceX has successfully caught its Starship upper stage mid-air using mechanical tower arms in Texas following a 22-hour orbital mission.
SpaceX successfully caught its 52-metre Starship upper stage using giant mechanical tower arms upon its return to the launch pad in Texas, marking a major milestone for reusable spaceflight. The spacecraft completed a 22-hour orbital test flight, during which it circled the Earth 14 times and deployed 26 Starlink satellites before making its vertical descent.
While the orbital stage recovery succeeded, the test flight achieved mixed overall results. Flight controllers previously aborted the landing attempt for the lower Super Heavy booster shortly after launch due to safety concerns, resulting in its destruction in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX aims to reliably recover both stages to significantly reduce space travel costs for future commercial and NASA Artemis missions.
Sources: Adevărul, Digi24, Economedia, HotNews, TV8
How outlets assessed this
- FAZ Critical Framed the outcome as a failure and major setback for Elon Musk's space ambitions.
- Le Figaro Neutral Factual reporting focusing on the technical decision to forego the first-stage recovery.
- The Guardian Supportive Emphasized the historic nature of the launch and the ambitious goals of the ongoing test.
- FAZ Critical Framed the test flight primarily as a failure and setback for Elon Musk's Mars ambitions.
- The Guardian Neutral Focused on the historical attempt at reusability and the planned 22-hour orbital flight schedule.
- La Vanguardia Supportive Framed the mission as a triumphant return to Earth and a major victory for space exploration and NASA.
- Marca Skeptical Emphasized the failure to achieve a double capture and highlighted the booster's explosion as a setback for reusability.
- Marca Critical Framed the test as a setback for Elon Musk's reusability goals due to the booster explosion.
- Tagesschau Supportive Emphasized the milestone as a key success toward operating rockets like commercial airplanes.
- Marca Critical Highlighted the test as a setback due to the booster explosion preventing a full double recovery.
- France24 Supportive Framed the test as a triumphant achievement following the successful mid-air catch of the spacecraft.
Sources
- HotNews — „Îți vine să crezi?”. Premieră istorică pentru SpaceX: racheta Starship, prinsă în aer la întoarcerea pe Pământ
- Adevărul — Imagini spectaculoase din Texas. Nava lui Elon Musk, Starship, a fost recuperată în aer, cu ajutorul brațelor mecanice
- Digi24 — Premieră spectaculoasă pentru SpaceX. Momentul în care nava Starship a revenit pe Pământ: „A fost aproape magic”
- Economedia — Premieră istorică pentru SpaceX: Nava Starship a fost prinsă la întoarcere cu brațele turnului de lansare, după un zbor de peste 22 de ore
- TV8 — /VIDEO/ „A fost aproape magic”: Momentul în care SpaceX a prins nava Starship în aer, la revenirea pe Pământ
Earlier coverage
- Nov 15, 2026, 10:30 AM UTCSpaceX captures Starship upper stage in landmark test flight
- Nov 15, 2026, 07:30 AM UTCSpaceX achieves first mid-air catch of Starship upper stage in landmark test
- Nov 15, 2026, 03:00 AM UTCSpaceX achieves first mid-air catch of Starship upper stage after orbital flight
- Nov 15, 2026, 02:00 AM UTCSpaceX achieves first successful catch of upper Starship stage after orbital test
- Nov 14, 2026, 11:00 PM UTCSpaceX Starship booster crashes during ambitious recovery attempt
- Nov 14, 2026, 05:30 AM UTCSpaceX Starship test flight encounters technical setback during catch attempt
- Nov 13, 2026, 11:30 PM UTCSpaceX aims for double rocket catch in upcoming Starship test flight