--- title: "Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Catch Starship Booster With Giant “Robot Chopsticks”" description: "According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the space company will attempt to recover its massive Super Heavy booster with giant robot chopsticks." date: "2021-08-30" modified: "2021-08-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-giant-robot-chopsticks" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "super heavy" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Catch Starship Booster With Giant “Robot Chopsticks” ![According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the space company will attempt something very different to recover its massive Super Heavy booster.]() *\Image: Elon Musk via Twitter\* ## Robot Chopsticks According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the space company will attempt something very different to recover its massive Super Heavy booster after it launches. "SpaceX will try to catch largest ever flying object with robot chopsticks," [Musk tweeted]() early Monday morning. He was referring, of course, to the [giant robotic tower SpaceX is building]() to catch the primary rocket stage after it gives the company's Starship spacecraft a boost into orbit. True to character, Musk reasserted his penchant for classic movies, [adding a link]() to a clip from the 1984 hit "The Karate Kid" that involves catchings flies with chopsticks. "Success is not guaranteed, but excitement is!" Musk added. It's an exciting moment in the development of Starship. Without its giant booster, the spacecraft isn't capable of escaping Earth's gravitational pull — but we're finally inching closer to seeing the first Super Heavy leave the ground. ## Mechazilla Last year, Musk revealed how "Mechazilla" — the CEO's [nickname]() for the structure — will enable a soft landing. "We’re going to try to catch the Super Heavy Booster with the launch tower arm, using the grid fins to take the load," [Musk tweeted]() in December in response to a fan-made animation. In other words, the two tower arms will act as a pair of "giant chopsticks" to guide the booster back to the ground. Musk also [revealed earlier this month]() that Mechazilla will be used to catch Starship as well — except on the Moon and Mars, where he astutely noted there isn't yet any "infrastructure." ## Static Fire SpaceX [completed the construction]() of the massive 440-foot launch tower late last month, setting the stage for the first-ever test launch of a Super Heavy booster prototype. Last week, the company [reinstalled 29 Raptor engines]() on its first orbital-class prototype called Booster 4 after a [test fitting]() earlier this month. SpaceX will likely attempt a static test fire of the prototype in the coming weeks. But a full test launch could still be some time away. The Federal Aviation Administration is still completing [an environmental review]() that could drag on for weeks if not months. But when the first Super Heavy leaves the ground, we will certainly be watching live. **More on SpaceX:** *[Elon Musk: Jeff Bezos Retired for “Full-time Job Filing Lawsuits Against SpaceX”]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()