SpaceX pulled off a mind-blowing feat of aerospace engineering in the fifth uncrewed test launch of its megarocket Starship on Sunday, catching a Super Heavy booster — as tall as a 20-story building — in a giant pair of metal "chopsticks" on its return to the launchpad.
The latest: The spacecraft launched successfully, reentered Earth's atmosphere and splashed down as planned in the Indian Ocean around an hour after liftoff.
The Federal Aviation Administration gave SpaceX a green light on Saturday for its fifth Starship test launch.
Why it matters: The approval means Elon Musk's SpaceX can launch its megarocket on Sunday, much earlier than initially seemed possible due to regulatory hurdles.
