A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket propelled NASA's Europa Clipper on a five-and-a-half-year mission to explore Jupiter's moon to see if it can support life.

Today's launch followed a spectacular SpaceX test flight Sunday, where the landing was more impressive than the blast-off.

CBS's Mark Strassman has more.

With high drama and high risk, the world's largest, most powerful rocket did something extraordinary.

Minutes after launching its uncrewed, super-heavy Starship rocket, SpaceX returned its booster stage back to the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas.

Here's how.

By plucking it out of the sky using giant metal arms called chopsticks.

The fifth test flight is part of SpaceX's race to develop reusable rocketry for interplanetary travel.

Reusability of spacecraft for future space exploration is extraordinarily important because reusability drives down the cost of space exploration.

Derek Pitts is the chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute.

What SpaceX plans to do in the future for this spacecraft capability, though, is to take astronauts out to Mars.

This mission, one of those moments when science fiction became science fact.

Mark Strassman, CBS News, Atlanta.