According to foreign media reports, the US space exploration technology company SpaceX has tested the newly installed giant robotic arm Mechazilla for the first time at its measurement site in southern Texas. The pair of robotic arms are like an enlarged version of chopsticks that will be used for soft landing recovery of starships and their boosters.
SpaceX fans claimed via Twitter: "At around 6:30 a.m. on October 28, SpaceX tested Mechazilla for the first time ever, showing it swinging its arm toward the left side of starbase, which proves that 'chopsticks' are now alive." ”
In August, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter: "SpaceX will try to capture the largest flying object in history with robotic chopsticks. He also teased Mechazilla's ability to capture starships, saying it was like holding up chopsticks to clip a small piece of sushi.
Soon after, a SpaceX fan posted an animated video on Twitter speculating about how Mechazilla works. Musk gave the affirmation, saying it was "very close" to SpaceX's vision. This is a very crazy concept, and if anything goes wrong, it is likely to turn into a huge disaster.
Over the past few months, SpaceX has been stepping up construction of a 440-foot-tall tower. On October 6, SpaceX began assembling three major components of the Mechazilla, such as the carriage-shaped structure, the tower QD arm, and two huge robotic arms. By Oct. 20, SpaceX was largely complete with installing the Mechazilla on the tower.
Mechazilla is part of SpaceX's first attempt to launch a Starship for its first orbital test flight. Last week, SpaceX successfully conducted static ignition tests on the first orbital-class starship prototype, the S20, suggesting that the company may soon try to use Mechazilla to recover its first starship and super-heavy rocket booster.
However, given the ongoing environmental investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it remains uncertain when SpaceX's first orbital test launch will take place. But Musk himself predicts that the test will take place as soon as next month, although it is still waiting for "regulatory approval." (NetEase Technology)