“This is a day for the engineering history books,” a SpaceX spokesman said in a livestream of the procedure. 

Starship is seen by many as the best option for interplanetary travel between Earth and Mars and being able to reuse components, such as the boosters, is essential for this to occur. 

“The tower has caught the rocket!!” Musk posted on X following the launch.

“If civilization is reasonably stable for the next ~30 years, a self-sustaining city of a million+ people will be built on Mars.”

The landmark success for SpaceX comes on the eve of the UK’s International Investment Summit to which Musk, the world’s richest man who also owns the social media network X, was not invited.

Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, refused to comment on why Musk was not invited when asked on Sunday, but it comes after a row between Sir Keir Starmer and the billionaire after the latter criticised policing of the Southport riots earlier this year. 

After it emerged Musk was not invited last month he posted on X: “I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted paedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts.”