The Chopsticks (also known as Mechazilla) are a pair of Mechanical arms installed on the Launch Tower used for Starship Stacking and Catching. Currently, there are 3 of them built, 2 at Starbase and 1 at LC-39A.
Design[]
The chopsticks are made for both stacking Starships and catching Boosters as well as Ships in the near future. The chopsticks are primarily composed of two parts, the arms and the carriage. The arms are able to open and close, which allows them to maneuver in catching or stacking Starships. These arms include catch rails that can be extended, which are meant to absorb the impact when a Ship/Booster is caught. The rails are also designed to hold the booster/ship from its catch pins where a set of aligners can position the vehicle to its necessary alignment. On the lower portion of the arms are a pair of triangular shaped stabilizers, meant to stabilize ships and boosters alike during stacking.
The other section of the Chopsticks is the Carriage. It is meant to move up and down along rails installed on three pillars of the OLIT. The arms also utilize this carriage as a swivel point for moving left and right. It is the component where both chopstick arms are attached to during assembly, prior to installation onto the tower.
The Chopsticks currently have 2 variations, the first set of chopsticks - installed on OLIT-1, have longer arms that extend beyond the OLM. However, both the Chopsticks installed on OLIT-2 in Florida and Pad B in Starbase are a shorter version that has less drag and inertia, making them easier to maneuver and control. This shorter variant is expected to be the design that SpaceX will use from now on.
Chopsticks[]
| Tower | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|
| OLIT-1 | Starbase, Texas | Operational, being used for Stacking and Booster Catches |
| OLIT-2 | LC-39A, Cape Canaveral | Installed, not operational yet |
| OLIT-3 | Starbase, Texas | Installed, undergoing work |
Gallery[]
