Far from a RUD, the real-life Super Heavy booster catch performed nearly shot-for-shot the same as SpaceX's animation. The dramatic pairing emphasizes the literal and metaphorical leaps the launch vehicle has taken over the past few years as it approaches operational qualification, which can't come too soon for both SpaceX and NASA.

SpaceX's massive rocket aims for new milestones in reusability and in-space maneuvers, paving the way for lunar and Mars missions.