SpaceX Successfully Catches Starship in First “Chopstick” Maneuver

What changed

SpaceX successfully caught Starship Flight 15 with the “Mechazilla” launch and catch tower after aborting a planned catch attempt. It was the first successful “chopstick” catch of the Starship vehicle itself; SpaceX had previously used the maneuver only for boosters.

Why it matters

The catch shows that Mechazilla can handle more than Starship’s booster. It can now capture the spacecraft itself, adding a new demonstrated capability to SpaceX’s launch-and-recovery system.

That matters because the tower is no longer just part of the launch setup. Its arms have successfully become part of the vehicle’s return path, too. The practical value will depend on whether SpaceX can repeat the maneuver reliably and whether it affects launch scheduling. For now, this is a meaningful engineering milestone, not proof that the whole recovery operation is routine.