Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Attempt to 'Catch Largest Ever Flying Object With Robot Chopsticks'
17:56 GMT 31.08.2021 (Updated: 17:11 GMT 20.06.2023)
© AP Photo / Patrick Pleul
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The tech maverick's space company is working on a next-generation spaceship that is expected to dramatically reduce the cost of space launches and simplify space travel. SpaceX’s President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said that the company plans to launch space missions to the Moon and Mars in the near future.
Elon Musk said SpaceX will attempt to "catch the largest ever flying object with robot chopsticks". The CEO of the company posted a statement to that effect on Twitter as well as a snippet from the movie "The Karate Kid", where the protagonist hones his martial arts skills by trying to catch a fly with chopsticks.
"Success is not guaranteed, but excitement is!", Musk added.
Musk's statement apparently refers to the installation of three robotic arms that the tech maverick has lovingly dubbed "Mechazilla".
Lifting the Quick Disconnect arm this morning
— Philip Bottin (@BottinPhilip) August 29, 2021
1/* pic.twitter.com/uVmWvCpVBm
SpaceX hopes that the arms will accomplish several tasks - they will hoist the Starship and its Super Heavy booster rockets onto the launch pads and then catch the boosters and the Starship mid-air, hence the reference to the scene from "The Karate Kid". Media reports say that the arms will also help load the rocket with fuel, oxidiser, and other consumables.
The company now plans to perform a series of tests with the Super Heavy before launching the Starship rocket into space.
On August 6th we witnessed history. SpaceX turned an idea into reality. After just under 2 years the first Starship prototype was stacked, proving that SpaceX wants to make humanity a multi-planetary species.
— TankWatchers (@WatchersTank) August 13, 2021
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