Space managed to recapture the Super Heavy rocket in the Starship launch test late last night. The Super Heavy rocket with 30 Raptor engines returns to earth after launching the Starship. It is then recaptured by a launch tower equipped with a Mechazilla mechanism that looks like a pincer.
This is the fifth Starship launch test and the first to successfully return a Super Heavy to earth safely. In four previous launches, the Super Heavy returned to Earth before being directed to crash on the surface of the ocean near Boca Chica, Texas.
Unlike the Falcon 9 rocket also used by SpaceX, the Super Heavy is not equipped with a built-in landing gear to reduce weight. Instead Mechazilla which looks like a chopstick grabs the Super Heavy's "neck" right after it returns to the launch pad.
Meanwhile the Starship spacecraft was once again successfully launched into space before being directed back to earth. It landed on the surface of the Indian Ocean around 65 minutes after launch. Upon touching the surface of the sea, the Starship explodes as it did during the fourth test. This is intentional as SpaceX does not plan to recover the Starship after it crashes.