SpaceX and Elon Musk on Thursday confirmed Mechazilla, the company’s massive, 460-foot tall rocket launch and catch tower, successfully caught a descending rocket booster for the second time.
“Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster,” the SpaceX account confirmed in a post to the social media platform X, which Musk purchased in 2022. Video attached to the post shows a SpaceX rocket descend from multiple angles before hovering as the Mechazilla arms extend around it in mid-air.
Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/aq91TloYzY
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 16, 2025
Musk celebrated the the Mechazilla catch with his own post to X, writing, “We caught the rocket!!”
SpaceX previously used Mechazilla to retrieve a descending rocket in October, with the company saying the 45-story tower will both save it money spent retrieving rockets from the ocean and increase the frequency of its launches.
While the November rocket launch attended by President-elect Donald Trump was originally slated to use the new tower, the company called it off shortly before the launch.
Despite the success of Mechazilla, SpaceX has confirmed its Starship, the vessel the rocket was boosting out of Earth’s atmosphere, was destroyed.
“Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn,” wrote SpaceX in a post to X. “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability.”
Musk later posted video of the destruction to X, where he wrote, “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!” He later announced that the company has more ships and boosters “already waiting for launch.”
Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed! ✨
pic.twitter.com/nn3PiP8XwG— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2025
The SpaceX website explains that Starship is part of the company’s plans for humans to colonize Mars, and is designed to become “a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.”
It is the largest launch vehicle created, according to SpaceX, which explains it is capable of repeatedly hauling up to 150 tonnes of cargo, or 250 tonnes for a one-way flight.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Images by SpaceX.
