Starship, why is it important to catch a mega rocket?

This fact marks one of the fastest evolutions for the space industry. 18 months ago, after SpaceX’s maiden flight, the vehicle exploded shortly after launch, prompting significant criticism of the company’s development plan.

The part of the rocket where the crew and equipment will be on future missions, better known as the ship, ignited its own engines as it separated from the rocket and landed in the Indian Ocean approximately 40 minutes later. The idea is that this part of the vehicle can also land again.

For Elon Musk, reusing rockets represents the way in which humanity is going to become a “truly space species,” as trapping it allows for faster deployment of the vehicle in the future.

In economic terms, this proposal also represents significant changes, since according to Musk’s statements in 2019, the missions powered by Starship have an operational cost of about two million dollars.

For the United States space agency, NASA, these types of results are very favorable, since it paid $2.8 billion to SpaceX to convert Starship into a lander capable of returning astronauts to the surface of the Moon in the 2026.

How does Mechazilla work?

Mechazilla is the nickname of the 122-meter-long structure located at the SpaceX Starbase in south Texas. Its operation is based on two large mechanical arms, designed to catch the mega rocket when it returns to Earth.

The process to capture the Super Heavy rocket consists of a few steps. The first is that after detaching itself from the Starship, it begins its descent horizontally, a maneuver that Musk has dubbed a “belly drop” and whose objective is to increase the resistance of the propellant and slow it down.

Once it is close enough to the surface it is slow enough to restart the engines in order to turn the vehicle vertically once again and guide it down safely.

It is up to that point that the Mechazilla comes into operation, as it imprisons the rocket with its large sticks, which function as claws that keep it securely on the launch platform.

Mechazilla is so important to SpaceX because it not only reduces wear and tear on the booster rocket, but also reduces the time needed to prepare it for the next launch.

“This is a custom-built tower with arms designed to catch the largest, heaviest flying object ever built and lift it into the air,” Musk explained of the construction of the Mechazilla.