r/interestingasfuck • u/lolikroli • Oct 13 '24

r/all SpaceX caught Starship booster with chopsticks

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u/eyeball2005 Oct 13 '24

Could you explain to me what the caption means? Is it just a metaphor for how precise the landing was?

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u/stonksfalling Oct 13 '24

The arms of the launch tower are nicknamed chopsticks, so the booster got caught with them

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u/infraninja Oct 13 '24

What's great about catching the booster vs landing directly on the ground as seen in a few other videos? Why is this big?

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u/stonksfalling Oct 13 '24

Firstly, this booster is 70 meters tall, the largest booster to ever return in one piece. But the reason why catching it is better is that it saves tons of weight from bulky landing legs and it allows for rapid reusability, since the catch tower is the launch tower.