RECOVERY & REUSE
Grid fins, drone ships, Mechazilla, and the systems that land rockets.
Explore the technologies that transformed rocketry from expendable to reusable. From Falcon 9 booster landings to Starship tower catches, understand how recovery systems work and why they matter.
RECOVERY SYSTEMS
Grid fins, landing legs, drone ships, Mechazilla, parachutes, fairing catchers — the technology enabling reusable spaceflight.
18 recovery systems
⚙️
PARACHUTE (FULL SYSTEM)
RETIRED
Northrop Ventura
Apollo Command Module Parachutes
Apollo Command Module
17 uses100% success
⚙️
PARACHUTE (DROGUE)
ACTIVE
Airborne Systems
Crew Dragon Drogue Parachutes
Crew Dragon
30 uses100% success
⚙️
PARACHUTE (MAIN)
ACTIVE
Airborne Systems
Crew Dragon Main Parachutes
Crew Dragon
30 uses100% success
⚙️
MID-AIR CAPTURE
EXPERIMENTAL
Rocket Lab
Electron Helicopter Recovery
Electron
3 uses67% success
🎯
AERODYNAMIC CONTROL
ACTIVE
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Grid Fins
Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy
300 uses99% success
🚀
LANDING SYSTEM
ACTIVE
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Landing Legs
Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy
250 uses98% success
⚙️
THRUST VECTOR CONTROL
ACTIVE
SpaceX
Falcon 9 Octaweb TVC
Falcon 9
300 uses99% success
⚙️
PROPULSIVE LANDING
ACTIVE
SpaceX
Merlin Engine Relight System
Falcon 9
300 uses99% success
⚙️
PROPULSIVE LANDING
ACTIVE
Blue Origin
New Shepard Landing System
New Shepard
22 uses95% success
⚙️
PARACHUTE (FULL SYSTEM)
ACTIVE
Airborne Systems
Orion CPAS
Orion MPCV
3 uses100% success
⚙️
MID-AIR CAPTURE
EXPERIMENTAL (TRANSITIONING TO OCEAN RECOVERY)
Rocket Lab
RocketLab Mid-Air Capture
Electron
3 uses67% success
⚙️
PARACHUTE + RETROROCKET
ACTIVE
NPO Lavochkin / Zvezda
Soyuz Parachute System
Soyuz
160 uses99% success
⚙️
PARACHUTE (SRB)
RETIRED
United Technologies / Thiokol
Space Shuttle SRB Recovery
Space Shuttle SRB
270 uses99% success
⚙️
LANDING PLATFORM
ACTIVE
SpaceX (converted Marmac barges)
SpaceX Drone Ship ASDS
Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy
200 uses96% success
⚙️
TOWER CATCH SYSTEM
ACTIVE
SpaceX
SpaceX Mechazilla Chopstick Catch
Super Heavy / Starship
2 uses100% success
⚙️
AIRBAG LANDING
ACTIVE
Boeing / ILC Dover
Starliner Airbags
CST-100 Starliner
3 uses100% success
⚙️
AERODYNAMIC + PROPULSIVE
ACTIVE (TESTING)
SpaceX
Starship Belly Flop Maneuver
Starship
10 uses70% success
⚙️
TOWER CATCH
ACTIVE (TESTING)
SpaceX
Super Heavy Booster Catch
Super Heavy
2 uses100% success