Watch SpaceX's Most Incredible Moments [Videos]

SpaceX now flies so frequently that orbital launches feel close to a routine schedule. That pace was evident during a recent doubleheader weekend, when two Falcon 9 missions lifted off from opposite sides of the country and both first-stage boosters landed at sea.

With the first flight test of Starship V3 on the horizon, it’s a good moment to revisit the breakthroughs that led here. From catching returning boosters to pioneering private spacewalks, these milestones reshaped modern space exploration.

The First Successful Landing

On December 21, 2015, a Falcon 9 first stage returned to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral after delivering its payload, achieving a vertical landing that had previously seemed out of reach. The feat demonstrated that orbital-class rockets could be reused, transforming the economics of spaceflight.

Simultaneous Landings

During the Falcon Heavy’s maiden flight in 2018, both side boosters touched down in perfect unison at Cape Canaveral. Beyond the spectacle, it highlighted the precision of SpaceX’s autonomous landing systems.

Starship: The First High-Altitude Flip

Starship is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle, and its development has been a "test-and-learn" journey. In December 2020, the SN8 prototype ascended to 12.5 kilometers and executed a dramatic "belly flop" to control its descent. Although the vehicle ended in a "hard landing," watching a rocket of that scale transition between horizontal and vertical orientations for the first time was a major step in aerodynamic control.

SN15: The First Starship to Nail the Landing

In May 2021, SN15 completed its high-altitude test profile and landed on the pad without exploding—the first Starship prototype to survive the full sequence. The success showed that the complex flip-and-land maneuver was repeatable.

Mechazilla’s Chopsticks: Catching a Giant

One of the most "insane" moments in aerospace came during Starship’s fifth flight test in October 2024. Instead of returning to a pad or a ship, the Super Heavy booster was caught mid-air by the launch tower’s massive "chopstick" arms. This "Mechazilla" catch is central to rapid reusability, enabling launch, recovery, and relaunch at unprecedented tempo.

Next, SpaceX plans its first "catch" of a returning Starship upper stage, targeted sometime between Flight 13 and Flight 15, contingent on the performance of upcoming Starship V3 flights.

Looking farther ahead, Starship V4 is in development with 42 Raptor engines and is targeted for a 2027 debut.

Polaris Dawn: The First Private Spacewalk

In September 2024, the Polaris Dawn mission saw Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis conduct the world’s first commercial spacewalk. After exiting Crew Dragon’s hatch high above Earth, they evaluated new SpaceX-designed EVA suits intended for future use on Mars.

The "Pez Dispenser": First Starship Payload Success

On August 26 during the Starship Flight 10 mission, the vehicle completed the first successful "Pez dispenser" test. After reaching its planned suborbital trajectory, the Starship upper stage deployed eight Starlink satellite simulators in a dispenser-like sequence—an important proof of its capacity to deliver large payloads. SpaceX intends to leverage this capability to accelerate Starlink expansion and begin deploying large amounts of AI compute in space following its recent acquisition of xAI.

Open the pod bay door, HAL

Starship deploying @Starlink simulator sats pic.twitter.com/3CSOyulzcJ

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025

After deployment, Starship executed a landing burn and splashed down in the ocean, as shown in the footage below.

Building the Future of Connection

Through its Starlink constellation, SpaceX delivers high-speed broadband to homes, businesses, ships, planes, and more. The company is also aiming to beam 5G connectivity directly to unmodified cell phones from space, complementing Starlink Mobile’s satellite texting and low-speed data that remove coverage dead zones. To support these goals, SpaceX acquired Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, to integrate large-scale AI capabilities into its orbital network.

SpaceX’s long-term aim is to make life multiplanetary. Each catch, landing, and spacewalk marks another step toward a future where traveling beyond Earth becomes routine.