--- title: "SpaceX Grabs Starship With Giant Robot Arms" description: "SpaceX has successfully hooked up the pair of massive “chopsticks” of its “Mechazilla” tower to its latest Starship prototype, one step closer to the space company’s inaugural orbital test flight. The tower is meant to serve as both the launchpad and the catching mechanism for SpaceX’s Starship heavy launch system. The arms are meant to […]" date: "2022-02-09" modified: "2022-02-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-grabs-starship-robot-arms" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "super heavy" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Grabs Starship With Giant Robot Arms ![SpaceX has hooked up the pair of massive "chopsticks" of its 460-foot "Mechazilla" tower to its latest Starship prototype dubbed Ship 20.]() *\Image: Elon Musk via Twitter\* ## Chopstick Catch SpaceX has used the pair of massive "chopsticks" on its 460-foot "Mechazilla" tower to grab its latest Starship prototype, dubbed Ship 20 — one step closer to the space company's [inaugural orbital test flight]() later this year. The tower is meant to serve as both the launchpad and [catching mechanism]() for Starship and its heavy launch system. The arms are intended to clasp around either side of the roughly 400-foot Starship-and-booster stack during lift off — and ensure each of their safe arrival once they've returned. A [time lapse]() shared by *NASASpaceFlight*'s Michael Baylor shows engineers slowly hooking the chopsticks to the heat shield tile-covered spacecraft. "It's chopstick time!" Baylor wrote. https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1491248536088096768?s=20&t=QFhD9HiW6jHcXfBmH1gW9Q ## Bag Holder Onlookers are [now hoping]() SpaceX will attempt to stack the prototype on top of its orbital-class Super Heavy booster dubbed Booster 4 later today using the chopsticks as a lift. But we have yet to hear clear confirmation if any such attempt is actually in the works. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk [promised last week]() that he will give a long-awaited update on Starship on Thursday, which will also feature [a full stack](). It's also worth pointing out that carefully attaching the launch stack to the robot arms is a far cry from catching a massive spacecraft as it touches down. Last month, SpaceX [moved the giant catching arms]() for the first time. Since then, engineers have been stress-testing the mechanism by [hanging ballasts]() in the form of massive bags of water from the chopsticks. If all goes well — and regulators give them the go-ahead — SpaceX could be launching its Starship spacecraft into orbit for the very first time. Given the sheer amount of Raptor rocket engines involved — an orbital-class Super Heavy booster features 29 engines alone — the risk of yet another explosion could be higher than ever. So, needless to say, we'll certainly be watching. **More on Starship:** *[New Katy Perry Music Video Features SpaceX Starships]()* ## 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]()