SpaceX captured Starship using the arms of ‘Mechazilla’ its launch and catch tower for the first time.SpaceX captured Starship using the arms of ‘Mechazilla’ its launch and catch tower for the first time.Nov 14, 2026, 9:44 PM UTCImage: SpaceXAfter aborting a planned catch of Starship Flight 15’s booster, SpaceX successfully captured Starship with its “Mechazilla” launch and catch tower for the first time. The company has performed ‘chopstick’ catches of its boosters before, but this is the first time the maneuver has successfully been executed on the Starship vehicle itself.SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call that “success is not guaranteed on these first flights, but I’d say it’s more likely than not that this succeeds next flight.” While not a complete success, in that the company was unable to recover the entire launch vehicle, it still stands as a milestone for the Starship program. And, since it has previously caught boosters on previous launches, there is reason to believe the failure today was not an insurmountable obstacle. SpaceX is still trying to determine what caused the booster to abort its landing and detonate over the Gulf of Mexico.In the video above, you can watch Starship plunge through the clouds, flip vertically, and, with surprising grace, ease itself between the waiting arms of Mechazilla at around 4:20 PM ET.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O’BrienThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Watch SpaceX successfully execute the first ‘chopstick’ catch of Starship
