Markus was particularly impressed by the moment when the booster stage of Starship was caught by robotic arms after launch. The booster, standing 71 meters tall, separated from the Starship 65 kilometers above Earth and returned to the launchpad. Using its engines to slow descent, it was guided into the "mechazilla" tower, where it was securely caught by mechanical arms known as "chopsticks."
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and X, has long advocated for making humanity an interplanetary species. He believes that settling other planets is crucial to safeguarding human existence from potential global threats like asteroids or nuclear conflict. His first target? Mars. Musk envisions launching crewless Starships to Mars within two years, followed by manned missions to establish a self-sustaining city on the red planet.