Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and more For the first time, the Elon Musk-led company captured the Starship booster by executing what it calls the “chopstick” maneuver. An astonishing feat in itself, the “mechazilla” system caught the hulking first-stage kit seven minutes after its launch as it slowly descended into the metallic arm’s embrace. “Big step towards making life multiplanetary was made today,” SpaceX CEO Musk shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that Musk also heads up. This marks the first time that SpaceX has captured the booster in one piece without any critical damage, instead of it exploding or landing in a water body. SpaceX is no stranger to recovering rockets, as the company has been retrieving Falcon rockets for years on floating platforms. But with the Starship, which is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, the challenge, as well as the risk, was immense. A successful demonstration would mean SpaceX is not only capable of making vehicles that are ready for space missions, but also rare powerful rockets that are reusable.