SpaceX’s Starship booster trial can make space travel more sustainable

SpaceX recently created a buzz on social media after successfully catching a Starship booster with its futuristic "Mechazilla" tower.

This groundbreaking feat, which took place during a test, is a major leap forward for reusable rocket technology, igniting conversations about the future of space travel.

Starship is a space transportation system consisting of two parts — the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster rocket. A booster is a powerful first-stage rocket engine designed to provide the initial thrust needed to lift a spacecraft off the ground and into space.

Boosters are typically used to help heavy payloads overcome Earth's gravity during the early phases of launch. Once their fuel is depleted, boosters are thrown back to Earth — making them unusable for further future missions. 

But now, with SpaceX's latest breakthrough technology, it is possible to catch the booster and keep it for future use.

SpaceX built a 400-feet tall tower for catching the Super Heavy booster rocket once it is detached from the spacecraft. The Mechazilla tower, with its large mechanical arms known as 'chopsticks', is located at SpaceX's Starbase in Texas.

Space missions are costly as most rocket systems are expendable, that is, they can be used only once. 

Mechazilla cuts the cost in terms of both money and time. Engineers have been trying to design reusable systems for decades, and finally, the SpaceX engineers have done it.