SpaceX pulls off "chopstick" landing in fifth Starship test flight

• The craft, along with its huge reusable booster, made its first controlled water landing in June during the fourth test flight.
• This was the first attempt at catching the booster on the launchpad using the "chopsticks."

Driving the news: The high-suspense moment when the booster approached the giant metal arms brought cheers from onlookers and stunned celebration from engineers on the livestream.

• "This is absolutely insane!" said SpaceX engineer Kate Tice as the flaming booster settled into the launch site's outstretched arms.
• The audacious landing wasn't just for show. SpaceX is trying to master the capture and reuse of rocket parts to dramatically cut the costs and time involved in getting space missions off the ground.

Catch up quick: The timeline for Sunday's launch was pulled into the ongoing feud between the Elon-Musk-led aerospace company and FAA regulators.

• SpaceX said they had been prepared for the launch "since the first week of August," but the FAA had yet to give the company the green light, pointing to a number of alleged violations.
• The FAA had initially targeted late November for the launch, prompting criticism from SpaceX that the agency was causing unnecessary delays based on "superfluous environmental analysis."
• But the FAA announced Saturday "SpaceX met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight," giving the go-ahead for Sunday's historic launch.

Go deeper: The high stakes of SpaceX's dominance in space