What goes up, Musk come down for SpaceX booster

SPACEX pulls off its boldest test flight yet as mechanical arms at the launchpad successfully catch a plummeting booster rocket.

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

The empty 400ft Starship blasted off from the southern tip of Texas yesterday morning.

And while the main craft splashed down an hour later in the Indian Ocean, the 232ft first-stage booster was brought safely back home after seven minutes.

Engineers managed to slow it from over 17,000mph to be caught by the tower's arms, known as "chopsticks".