In a thrilling video shared by SpaceX, the robotic “Mechazilla” launch tower is seen meticulously stacking the Starship rocket, ahead of the vehicle’s third test flight. The video shows the tower’s two arms grabbing the rocket’s upper stage before carrying it to the top of the first-stage booster. The footage has been sped up to show the stacking process in super-quick time. The stack was captured at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, where the rocket is undergoing final preparations before its next test flight.
The Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built, consisting of the first-stage Super Heavy rocket and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft. Standing at an impressive 120 meters tall (395 feet), the Starship creates an astonishing 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, more than double that of NASA’s Saturn V moon rocket and nearly twice that of its new Space Launch System rocket.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has expressed hope that the Starship will take to the skies on its third uncrewed test flight in early March, pending a flight permit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The precise launch date remains uncertain, as the FAA is still investigating the Starship’s second flight in November.
SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Preps for Third Test Flight
The first two test flights, which took place in April 2023, unfortunately failed shortly after liftoff. However, the second flight did manage to achieve stage separation, a significant milestone for the Starship program. With the third flight, SpaceX hopes to reach another major milestone by getting the Starship spacecraft to orbit.
Once the test flights are successful, both parts of the rocket will come down to Earth, with the long-term goal of landing the Super Heavy booster upright, similar to how SpaceX now regularly lands its workhorse Falcon 9 booster. This enables a single booster to be flown multiple times, dramatically reducing mission costs.
The Starship spacecraft is designed not only to land on Earth but also on other celestial bodies. In fact, a modified version of the Starship will transport NASA’s Artemis III astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s surface in a mission currently scheduled for September 2026. SpaceX could also use the Starship system to carry crew and cargo to Mars, possibly in the 2030s.
The Starship program is a significant step forward for SpaceX, as it aims to make humanity a multi-planetary species. With its reusable launch technology and ability to land on other celestial bodies, the Starship has the potential to revolutionize space travel and exploration. As the program continues to progress, it will be exciting to see the Starship take to the skies once again and make history in space exploration.
