SpaceX's Starship spacecraft successfully returned to its launch tower at Starbase, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 23, after more than 22 hours of flight in Earth orbit and 14 times around the planet, restrained in mid-air by the tower's two mechanical arms. This is the first time a starship spacecraft has successfully returned to the launch site and been stopped by the tower after flight. This success is an important step in SpaceX's quest to build a rocket that can be reused in all its parts. However, the rocket booster, the big bottom part that launches the starship, failed to return to the launch site on this mission.

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft successfully returned to its launch tower at Starbase, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 23, after more than 22 hours of flight in Earth orbit and 14 times around the planet, restrained in mid-air by the tower's two mechanical arms. This is the first time a starship spacecraft has successfully returned to the launch site and been stopped by the tower after flight. This success is an important step in SpaceX's quest to build a rocket that can be reused in all its parts. However, the rocket booster, the big bottom part that launches the starship, failed to return to the launch site on this mission.