For the first time in history, SpaceX successfully landed the starship spacecraft (second stage) that returned from its orbit, and captured it with the manipulators of the Mezilla launch tower. The historic landing completed the system's 15th test flight (IFT-15) at Starbase Texas.
After launch on the night of November 14, 2026, the 52-meter-long upper stage (S42 prototype) spent about 22 hours in orbit, completing 14-15 orbits around Earth and deploying 26 new Starlink satellites. Upon re-entry into the atmosphere, the ship successfully decelerated and was captured by the mechanical "arms" of the service tower.
This mission was the first time the company attempted to simultaneously recreate both stages of a launch vehicle. However, during the return of the 72-meter (Super Heavy) first stage over the Gulf of Mexico, problems arose with the control system, as a result of which the forced elimination system was activated and the booster collapsed above water.
Until now, only the Super Heavy Booster managed to catch on the tower (first in October 2024), while the starship itself splashed in the sea after the flight. The successful landing of the upper stage confirms the full reusability of the entire system, which is critical to NASA's Artemis lunar program and future missions to Mars.