Relive SpaceX’s most spectacular moment of 2024

SpaceX has had an eventful year, with numerous Falcon 9 missions and significant progress on the Starship vehicle, the most powerful rocket in development.

One of the most notable achievements was on October 13 when SpaceX successfully caught the returning Super Heavy booster using its launch tower on the first attempt.

The impressive maneuver involved the booster landing with precision on mechanical arms at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.

Returning the booster in this manner allows SpaceX to reuse it for multiple flights, reducing mission costs significantly.

Below are various video clips showcasing the Super Heavy booster’s successful homecoming on October 13. The first video shows the launch and landing of the Starship:

Launch and return are fundamental techniques for Starship’s fully and rapidly reusable design pic.twitter.com/vrTdGkB08s

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024

Another video shows a close-up view of the rocket landing on the “chopstick” arms of the tower:

Onboard view showing a catch fitting on Super Heavy as it contacts a chopstick catch beam pic.twitter.com/r1TVQEdITc

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2024

SpaceX engineers worked tirelessly to meet all criteria for the successful catch, as shown in the next clip:

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

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024

Various other videos capture different angles of the rocket’s landing and the impressive precision of the maneuver.

SpaceX faced a communication issue during the sixth test flight, leading to the booster landing in the Gulf of Mexico. The company plans to repeat the landing feat in the upcoming seventh test flight in January.