Net or chopstick

Great SpaceX and Zimmerman are onto China's Long March to a reusable booster. The Chinese caught this in a net.

The booster was designed about the same: upright, with prongs. The net, or chopstick for Elon, catches the prongs.

China's difference is that it is on a floating platform, like what catches the Falcon 9 boosters. This allows the landing platform to follow the falling booster, and the net itself might allow for more margin for deviance than a static tower. Great SpaceX (not Elon-affiliated) adds that the net is better-maintainable.

One snag (heh) we have that China might not is coastal law. The Gulf of America (eff yea!) is an international water; also, we have oil platforms out there, and fisheries. Although: that might be clearing up. Another issue - for both of us - is that a booster caught out there in some ocean is not available for relaunch or even refit until it is towed back and moved back, which takes - probably days. If caught on the pad it's right there already.

The net idea still might not even work for a mammoth like the Super Heavy. If it did work (I don't know what kind of cable would do it) it could at least be a plan B for a booster unable to reach the proper pad.

We may certainly recommend the net for, say, Rocket Lab.