SpaceX has partake some dramatic secretive - up pictures of the 70 - meter - grandiloquent Super Heavy booster at the start and polish of its historic test flight of steps on Sunday , after which the skyrocket wasbrought safely back to Earthfor the first time .

The photos show the Super Heavy ’s Raptor engine light up during the launching at SpaceX ’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica , Texas , as the vehicle launched on its fifth test flight , and also as it came in to acres — secured by giant mechanical arms on the launchpad — about seven minutes after launching .

launch and come back the world's most sinewy rocketpic.twitter.com/E8AWRc5TTZ

& mdash ; SpaceX ( @SpaceX)October 13 , 2024

Super Heavy , powered by Raptorpic.twitter.com/Eg7dO4M64 t

SpaceX described the fifth test flight of the Starship — comprise the first - stagecoach Super Heavy booster and the upper - stage spaceship spacecraft — as its “ most ambitious ” to date “ as we wreak to demonstrate proficiency fundamental to Starship and Super Heavy ’s fully and quickly reusable excogitation . ”

Here ’s a video of the remarkable second when mechanical implements of war secured the enormous booster as it returned to worldly concern :

Thousands of distinct vehicle and diggings criteria had to be gather prior to capture the Super Heavy booster . Thanks to the tireless work of SpaceX engineers , we succeeded with catch on our first attempt.pic.twitter.com/6wa5v6xHI0

Earlier spaceship psychometric test flying culminated in the promoter either exploding in midair or being dumped in the sea .

While the lifter sire all the attending on Sunday due its astonishing return , the Starship spacecraft enjoy a successful trajectory , too , executing a hot - staging breakup from the Super Heavy and igniting its six Raptor engines to express it into orbit .

“ It coasted along its planned flight to the other side of the major planet before accomplish a ensure reentry , go through through the phase of peak heating and maximum sleek pressure level , before action a flip , landing burn , and splashdown at its target field in the Indian Ocean , ” SpaceX said , adding that the flight of stairs psychometric test close 1 hour and 5 minutes after launch when the spacecraft splashed down in the sea .

“ The entire SpaceX team should take superbia in the engineering effort they just attain , ” the Elon Musk - led spaceflight company said . “ The existence witnessed what the future will look like when Starship starts carrying crew and loading to destinations on Earth , the moon , Mars , and beyond . ”

In an early audience , Musk explainedhow SpaceX hope to bring the Super Heavy booster home .

“ This is a custom - built tower with arms that are design to beguile the largest flight and heavy fast objective ever made and cull it outta the air , ” the billionaire entrepreneur said . “ So you got a dyad hundred ton plummeting at more than half the fastness of sound . So this thing is still come in really fast . When the engines set down … it ’s gon na drop the speed to basically zero and come in between the arms . ”

“ The arms will be wide of the mark , and as it ’s coming in , the arms will close , go loaded against the side of the vehicle , and the vehicle will be descending through the arms . ”

Many beholder think that the first landing attempt would probably end in bankruptcy , so it was a very special consequence as the booster finalize in between the mechanically skillful subdivision on the very first endeavour .