得克萨斯州星港——这艘黑白相间的飞船从天而降，在飞行接近尾声时冲出云层。不可思议的是，火箭一直保持水平飞行，直到最后一刻三台猛禽火箭发动机点火，它才掠过天际转为垂直姿态。
STARBASE, Texas—The black and silver ship fell out of the sky, emerging from the cloud deck near the very end of its flight. Incongruously, the rocket flew horizontal until the last moment when three Raptor rocket engines ignited and it swooped into a vertical position.
星舰上级阶缓慢、平稳、踌躇地朝着等候的发射塔靠近，塔上的两条机械臂向外伸展，静候佳音。容错空间极其狭窄。火箭两侧各有一个凸起约一英尺（约30厘米）的支撑点，这是火箭唯一能抓住机械臂的地方。
Slowly, gently, haltingly, the Starship upper stage eased its way toward the waiting tower where two arms extended outward, awaiting expectantly. The margins are so incredibly narrow. Two nubs on either side of the rocket, each protruding only about one foot, were the only purchase the rocket would have on the arms.
不到一分钟，星舰上级阶就被发射塔稳稳捕获，贴合得严丝合缝。一切就此尘埃落定。SpaceX成立近四分之一世纪后，刚刚在开发和优化一枚巨大、快速可复用火箭的道路上迈出了极其关键的一步。
Then, less than a minute after it came into view, the Starship upper stage was snagged by the launch tower, as snug as you like. And so it was all over. SpaceX, nearly a quarter of a century after its founding, had just taken a hugely significant step toward developing and optimizing a massive, rapidly reusable rocket.