Sundar Pichai Commends Elon Musk on Starship Rocket Achievement

Sundar Pichai congratulated Elon Musk after SpaceX achieved a remarkable milestone with the boldest test flight of its massive Starship rocket on Sunday. In an impressive display, SpaceX successfully caught the returning booster of the Starship rocket using mechanical arms on its launch pad.

Elon Musk shared footage of the booster being captured on his social media platform, X, stating, “The tower has caught the rocket,” as the first-stage booster returned to the launch pad just seven minutes after liftoff.

The launch tower's gigantic metal arms, referred to as "chopsticks," grasped the 232-foot (71-meter) stainless steel booster, suspending it securely above the ground. This achievement marks the first time SpaceX has recovered a rocket booster directly on the launch pad rather than using floating ocean platforms. The engineering feat garnered praise from millions, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

“Congratulations! I have to admit, I rewatched the video multiple times; it’s incredible to see!” wrote Google CEO Sundar Pichai on X.

Pichai wasn’t the only one praising Elon Musk; industrialist Anand Mahindra also expressed his admiration. He shared his thoughts with Musk, stating, “This Sunday, I’m happy to be a couch potato if it means I get to watch history being made. This experiment might just represent a pivotal moment in making space travel more accessible and routine.”

Standing nearly 400 feet (121 meters) tall, the Starship launched from southern Texas at sunrise, soaring over the Gulf of Mexico. Like its predecessors, it followed a similar trajectory, although previous flights ended in failure shortly after liftoff or upon ocean impact.

This successful manoeuvre marks a significant advancement in SpaceX's strategy as the company continues to develop a reusable vehicle for lunar and Mars missions.