SpaceX has successfully caught the top part of its huge Starship rocket on its return to Earth for the first time.
“Can you believe it?,” a commentator said as large crowds cheered at the launch site in Texas.
The company had hoped to catch both the bottom and upper stages of the rocket using mechanical arms – nicknamed chopsticks – on its launch tower.
But the first catch of the rocket’s booster was aborted a few minutes after the launch on Friday. The booster was diverted to the ocean, bursting into flames just above the sea.
The top part, known as the Ship, returned to Earth a few minutes behind schedule at around 15:27 local time (21:27 GMT) on Saturday and was successfuly caught.
