iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
SpaceX’s launch-tower arms have two distinct jobs: they lift and stack Starship vehicles at the pad, and they are designed to catch a returning Super Heavy booster. The first successful booster catch happened during Starship Flight 5 on October 13, 2024—not during Flight 14 in September 2026, when the booster splashed down in the Gulf.
What the robot arms do
Super Heavy is the first stage of SpaceX’s Starship launch system. SpaceX describes Starship and Super Heavy together as a reusable transportation system. At Starbase, the launch tower’s two large arms—often called “chopstick arms”—are built to handle the vehicles in more than one way.
- Lift and stack: The arms lift Starship and place it on top of Super Heavy for final integration on the launch mount.
- Catch: In a returning-booster operation, the arms intercept Super Heavy as it descends to the tower. The intended reuse sequence is to restack the caught booster on the orbital launch mount for another flight.
These are different operations. Lifting and stacking happens with vehicles being handled at the pad; catching means intercepting a descending booster returning from flight. SpaceX describes these functions on its Starship overview and Starbase overview.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhen the tower first caught Super Heavy
SpaceX achieved its first successful Super Heavy tower catch during Starship Flight 5 on October 13, 2024. Booster 12 returned to Starbase and was caught by the tower arms, an event documented by the Royal Aeronautical Society and Spaceflight Now.
#1 Best Overall
- Intro to Robotics & Circuits: The kit includes motors, PCB microcontroller boards, and wires, by assembling and operating this robotic arm, It offers a fantastic first-time opportunity for children to know how electronic circuits work and control mechanical movement. Combining 3D puzzle with electrical enginnering, it's Fun and entertaining robotic science experiment for kids ages 8-14 and up! Note: 6 AA batteries needed but not included.
- Spark Interest in Engineering: This mechanical arm perfectly combines education with fun. Kids gain hands-on experience in physics & engineering principles while enjoying the thrill of building and play, making learning exciting. It sparks interest in future engineering and science pursuits.
- Challenging & Cool Wood Building Set! With wooden pieces and precise assembly tutorial, this wood building kit offers a satisfyingly complex building experience that enhances problem-solving skills, patience.
- Perfect Gift Idea: Designed for people who love to build and create, this DIY electronics kit for kids makes a gift or basker stuffer for boys and girls, tweens, teens, adults on birthday, christmas, easter, valentine day, also works for students in educational institutions, school science classes like science summer camping toy, or as STEAM game for families. It provides hours of challenging fun and a great sense of accomplishment once completed.
- STEM Project & Fun Toy for All Ages: No solidering required, the robot arm toy comes with all accessories you need to assemble this. Developing a lifelong love for science, the mechanical engineering kit is good for kids, teens, adults, boys and girls 8,9,10,11,12,13,14 years old and up
Flight 5 was the first catch, not the only one: SpaceX’s reusability overview documents later successful catches as well.
What happened on Flight 14
Starship Flight 14, on September 28, 2026, did not include a tower catch. SpaceX’s mission page describes Super Heavy ascending over the Gulf, and the Associated Press reported that the booster splashed down there rather than returning to Starbase for capture. AP also reported that future returns to the launch pad and catches depended on findings from Flight 14; Axios likewise described a future catch as a goal, not an operation attempted on that flight.
Rank #2
- Spark Your Creativity with Robotic Arm: Hiwonder-xArm1S is a high-quality desktop robot arm capable of remote-control grasping, object transportation, custom actions, graphical programming, and more. It serves as the ideal platform for building and showcasing creative projects and for learning about bionic robotics.
- Intelligent Servo: Hiwonder-xArm1S is equipped with 6 high-precision intelligent serial bus servos that provide position, voltage and temperature feedback. These powerful servos deliver strong torque, enabling the robot arm to grasp objects weighing up to 500g with ease.
- Premium Structure Design: The robot arm is constructed from an exquisite aluminum alloy bracket. The base is fortified with high-torque servos and industrial-grade bearings, guaranteeing exceptional stability.
- Various Control Methods: It supports PC, phone app, mouse, wireless PS2 Wireless Controller, and you can also control the robotic at your fingertips. With these control methods, xArm robotic Arm would bring more methods of play and study, perfect for realizing your innovative programming ideas and coding study.
- Versatile Action Editing: Hiwonder-xArm1S provides various action editing methods through a easy-to-use interface, including PC, app, and offline manual editing. This versatility allows you to easily create a wide range of robot applications.
So the headline’s “finally lifts” wording should not be read as evidence that Flight 14 caught or lifted its booster after landing. The established Flight 14 outcome was a Gulf splashdown. A separate recent lift operation would need its own confirmation before being described as a new event.
How a tower catch differs from a splashdown
| Operation | What the arms do | What the cited mission record establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Pad lift and stack | Move Starship onto Super Heavy for final integration at the launch mount. | SpaceX describes this as a tower function on its Starbase overview. |
| Tower catch | Intercept a descending booster returning to the launch tower. | First demonstrated with Booster 12 during Flight 5 on October 13, 2024; SpaceX documents later successful catches. |
| Gulf splashdown | The booster descends into the Gulf rather than being caught at the launch tower. | Flight 14’s Super Heavy splashed down in the Gulf on September 28, 2026. |
The distinction matters: a booster landing in the water is not a tower catch, and the arms’ ability to lift vehicles at the pad does not mean they lifted a booster after Flight 14.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- ♥Robot Arm Building Kit: this mini robot kit will provide the required hardware and tools to show you how to build a robot kit step by step. NOTE: You need to prepare two batteries.
- ♥Flexible 4DF Arm Robot: The 4-axis design robotic arm is flexible and can grab objects in any direction. The clip can be opened 260°, the wrist can be rotated 180°, the elbow can be rotated 180°, and the base can be rotated 180°.
- ♥Easy To Build And Learn: we provide easy-to-follow assembly and programming tutorials, as well as quick-response after-sales and technical support.
- ♥Remember and Repeat Actions: not only the desk robot hand can be controlled by the joystick we provide, it can also record up to 170 actions and repeat these actions once.
- ♥Great Gift: this mini robot arm is a DIY electronic kit for Adults/Beginners/Teens to improve building, coding and programming skills.
Rank #4
- Spark Your Creativity with LeArm Robotic Arm: LeArm is an elementary 6DOF desktop robot arm outfitted with 6 high-quality digital servos.It is capable of remote-control grasping, object transportation, custom actions, graphical programming, and more. It serves as the ideal platform for building and showcasing creative projects and for learning about bionic robotics.
- Anti-stall Protection: The robot arm end is equipped with 3 anti-blocking servos, complete with gear clutches that significantly extend the servos' lifespan.
- Premium Structure Design: The robot arm is constructed from exquisite metal bracket. The base is fortified with high-torque servos and industrial-grade bearings, guaranteeing exceptional stability.
- Various Control Methods: It supports PC, app, mouse and wireless handle control. Users can control the robot at your fingertips.
- Enjoy Robotic Arm Making: Enjoy the robot assembly process, LeArm is great for learning and building robot structures! Designed for students, engineers, university courses, and robot lovers. Comes with easy tutorials and simple programming software.
Rank #3
- Spark Your Creativity with Robotic Arm: Hiwonder-xArm1S is a high-quality desktop robot arm capable of remote-control grasping, object transportation, custom actions, graphical programming, and more. It serves as the ideal platform for building and showcasing creative projects and for learning about bionic robotics.
- Intelligent Servo: Hiwonder-xArm1S is equipped with 6 high-precision intelligent serial bus servos that provide position, voltage and temperature feedback. These powerful servos deliver strong torque, enabling the robot arm to grasp objects weighing up to 500g with ease.
- Premium Structure Design: The robot arm is constructed from an exquisite aluminum alloy bracket. The base is fortified with high-torque servos and industrial-grade bearings, guaranteeing exceptional stability.
- Various Control Methods: It supports PC, phone app, mouse, PS2 wireless control, and you can also control the robotic at your fingertips. With these control methods, Hiwonder-xArm1S would bring more methods of play and study, perfect for realizing your innovative programming ideas and coding study.
- Versatile Action Editing: Hiwonder-xArm1S provides various action editing methods through a user-friendly interface, including PC, app, and offline manual editing. This versatility allows you to easily create a wide range of robot applications.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
