Science & technology | The new Moon raceSpaceX is NASAs biggest lunar rivalThe companys successes are also showing up the agencys failingsPhotograph: NASA Oct 17th 2024It was something amazingan expensive, delicate ship falling out of the sky with such precision that it could be caught in a waiting pair of giant, gentle arms. If you wanted an illustration of the fact that Americans can do things in space beyond the reach of other earthlings the return of the booster stage of SpaceXs fifth Starship test flight on October 13th could hardly be bettered.Explore moreThis article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline Team of rivalsFrom the October 19th 2024 editionDiscover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the editionReuse this content