A SpaceX booster rocket has returned to earth and been caught by giant robotic arms - following a successful launch of the company's Starship spacecraft.
It was the first attempt to bring the rocket's 232-foot Super Heavy booster back to the launch tower.
After separating from the Starship at a height of 46 miles (74km), it returned to Boca Chica in Texas, seven minutes after launch, where it was grabbed and clamped in place using what are described as "chopsticks".
Arguably, they look more like metal arms, or giant pincers.
"Are you kidding me?" SpaceX's Dan Huot said close to the launch site. "I am shaking right now."
"This is a day for the engineering history books," added SpaceX's Kate Tice.
Space X owner Elon Musk said on X, which he also owns: "The tower has caught the rocket!!"
The Starship, meanwhile, will land in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia, following its fifth test flight from a launch pad on the border with Mexico.
Starship and Super Heavy are designed to carry crew and cargo to the moon and beyond - and be reusable.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the launch only yesterday, weeks earlier than expected.
Previously, the FAA said a decision on Starship 5 was not expected until late November.
But it said Elon Musk's company had "met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight".
It has also approved the Starship 6 mission profile.
Musk has heavily criticised the FAA - partly over the delay in approving the licence for Starship 5, which SpaceX said was ready in August.
SpaceX describes Starship as the world's "most powerful launch vehicle ever developed", capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes.
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