Sundar Pichai congratulates Elon Musk on Starship’s record-breaking feat

Google CEO Sundar Pichai congratulated Elon Musk in a post on X, as Starship achieved a record-breaking feat, which is a major leap in the SpaceX CEO’s mission to Mars. “Huge congrats, have to admit, rewatched the video many times over, incredible to see!” Pichai wrote in the post. He wrote this in response to a video that Musk shared on X with the caption, “The tower has caught the rocket!!”
In the post, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind and a recent winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, Demis Hassabis, also congratulated Musk. “Awesome !! Huge congrats!”: he wrote.
With the latest feat of Starship, Elon Musk’s vision of making humanity a multi-planetary species took a major step forward. During its fifth test flight, the lower half of the SpaceX vehicle, known as the Super Heavy booster, successfully manoeuvred back to its launch pad and was caught mid-air by a pair of giant mechanical arms, a world-first achievement. This remarkable catch marks a pivotal moment in SpaceX’s quest to develop a fully reusable and rapidly deployable space vehicle, bringing Musk’s dream of conquering Mars closer to reality.
The successful capture of the Super Heavy booster is a significant leap in the journey toward developing a rocket that can be reused multiple times. In the lead-up to the launch, SpaceX engineers acknowledged that the chances of a clean catch on the first attempt were slim, with expectations that the booster might end up landing in the Gulf of Mexico.
This achievement underscores the progress SpaceX has made since Starship’s initial, less successful attempts. Only eighteen months ago, the Starship vehicle suffered a dramatic setback during its maiden voyage, where it disintegrated shortly after launch. But the recent successful landings — culminating in the precise capture using mechanical arms dubbed “chopsticks” — demonstrate the engineering advances SpaceX has made, showcasing its ability to innovate rapidly.
The implications of this success are profound for SpaceX’s broader ambitions. By mastering the ability to catch and reuse the Super Heavy booster, SpaceX is closer to realising a truly reusable launch system, which is crucial for making space travel more affordable and frequent. This reusability is a cornerstone of Musk’s plans, as it significantly lowers the cost of space missions, making it more feasible to undertake multiple trips to Mars and beyond.
Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, is designed with the ambitious goal of carrying humans across the solar system. It stands nearly 400 feet tall and boasts unparalleled thrust, capable of delivering large payloads to space. The main part of the spacecraft—also called Starship—successfully reached orbit during the latest test before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
The successful capture and landing bring SpaceX one step closer to achieving the dream of a Mars mission. With each milestone, Musk’s vision of building a sustainable human presence on other planets moves from science fiction to a tangible goal, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space exploration. The latest accomplishment cements Starship’s role as a crucial vehicle in the quest to explore and ultimately settle on Mars.