Success for SpaceX: “Starship” rocket returns to the launch pad

Success for SpaceX “Starship” rocket returns to launch pad after flight As of: November 15, 2026 • 12:12 a.m

A rocket that can be used like a civilian aircraft is SpaceX's goal. Now the “Starship” system can claim success: for the first time, the approximately 50-meter-large upper rocket stage landed back on earth.

The US space company SpaceX has taken an important step in the development of a fully reusable rocket: the upper stage of the “Starship” system returned to the starting point in Texas after its longest flight to date. There the rocket was caught by two mechanical gripper arms on the launch tower. It was the first time SpaceX had attempted such a capture.

After the safe return to Earth, SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot spoke of a “holy grail” of space travel. "We captured a 'Starship' and now everything changes," Huot said.

However, there was no complete success: the lower rocket stage, the so-called super heavy booster, failed to return to the launch pad as planned around ten minutes after launch on Friday. In three previous test launches, this lower rocket stage had been successfully intercepted.

Before returning to Earth, the “Starship” deployed 26 “Starlink” satellites into space at an altitude of around 260 kilometers.

The third test flight of the gigantic SpaceX rocket “Starship” also failed. more

For SpaceX founder Elon Musk, the "Starship" is the future workhorse for his company's satellite business. "Starship" is bigger than the Statue of Liberty in New York. It consists of two parts that separate after launch: the approximately 70 meter long Super Heavy Booster and the upper stage - also called "Starship" - which measures around 50 meters.

Both parts are designed to be reused after returning to Earth. The rocket system was tested for the first time in April 2023 - but then it exploded completely after a few minutes. The further tests were met with varying degrees of success.

NASA actually wanted to build a space station in the orbit of the moon. more

The US space agency NASA wants to send astronauts to the moon with the "Starship", while SpaceX also aims to reach Mars one day.

The company is aiming for a missile system that can be used in a rhythm and handling similar to civilian aircraft. This could significantly reduce the costs of space missions in the future and enable more frequent launches.

So far, SpaceX has dominated the global market for rocket launches with the “Falcon 9,” which has flown into space more than 700 times since 2010.

This topic in the program: NDR2 | News | 11/14/2026 | 11:00 p.m. Das Erste | daily news | 11/15/2026 | 02:49