SpaceX catches its Starship spacecraft with tower arms after 22 hours in space

SpaceX, the rocket company owned by Elon Musk, has for the first time caught its Starship spacecraft using the arms of its launch tower as the vehicle came back from space, according to the Israeli news channel News.co.il. The channel described the catch as a historic achievement and a significant move toward making space flights reusable and less expensive.

A second Israeli outlet, Abu Ali Express, reported that the Starship body was caught after completing a journey of 22 hours in space. Both reports present the event as a first for the company and for the space industry, and neither reports any damage to the vehicle or the tower.

What was caught, and why it differs from earlier catches

Starship flights involve two parts: a large booster that lifts the vehicle off the ground, and the Starship spacecraft itself, which continues on into space. Abu Ali Express noted that SpaceX had already caught the booster many times. The booster, the channel explained, returns to Earth at a relatively low speed.

The spacecraft is a harder problem. According to the same report, Starship comes back at a much higher speed, which means the catch requires greater precision. That, the channel said, was the challenge SpaceX faced on this flight, and meeting it moves the industry closer to reusing spacecraft of this type.

The reports do not describe the mechanics of the catch in detail. News.co.il refers to the launch arms, meaning the arms mounted on the tower from which the rocket lifts off, closing around the returning vehicle rather than the vehicle landing on legs or splashing down at sea.

Why reusability matters

The central idea behind the catch, as both reports frame it, is reuse. A spacecraft that can be recovered intact and flown again does not have to be built from scratch for each mission. News.co.il linked the achievement directly to making space flights both reusable and cheaper. Abu Ali Express made a similar point, saying the catch advances the industry toward reusing spacecraft like Starship.

Recovering the booster alone covers only part of the system. Bringing back the upper stage as well, the part that actually travels to space and endures the return journey, is what would allow the whole vehicle to be flown again, which is why both outlets treated this catch as a milestone rather than a repeat of earlier booster recoveries.

About the sources

Both reports came from Hebrew-language news channels on the Telegram messaging service, which are widely followed in Israel for fast updates. News.co.il published its post late in the evening, and Abu Ali Express published its account the following morning. Neither post quoted SpaceX, Elon Musk or any company statement, and neither linked to footage of the catch.

The two accounts are consistent with each other on the core event: Starship was caught by the tower arms on its return, and this was the first time SpaceX had done so with the spacecraft rather than the booster. Abu Ali Express added the duration of the flight and the comparison with the booster catches; News.co.il did not give those details, but nothing in its report contradicts them.

What the reports do not say

Neither report gives the date or launch site of the flight, the purpose of the mission, or whether anything was carried on board. Neither includes a statement from SpaceX confirming the catch, describing the condition of the spacecraft afterward, or saying when this vehicle or the next Starship might fly again. The reports also do not explain how the 22 hours in space were spent, for example whether the spacecraft reached orbit, and they do not say whether any part of the return or catch fell short of the company's plans.