Skip to main content

Watch SpaceX stack its Starship rocket in super-quick time

SpaceX has shared a cool video showing its robotic “Mechazilla” launch tower stacking its Starship rocket ahead of the vehicle’s third test flight.

SpaceX sped up the video (below) to show the stacking process in super-quick time. As the footage shows, the tower at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, uses two arms to grab the rocket’s upper stage before carrying it to the top of the first-stage booster. The company also shared some spectacular images showing the rocket at the launch site on the coast of southern Texas.

Recommended Videos

Starship team is preparing for a full launch rehearsal ahead of Flight 3 pic.twitter.com/djP5cWzhCL

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 13, 2024

The Starship is the most powerful rocket ever to fly and comprises the first-stage Super Heavy rocket and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft. The 120-meter-tall (395 feet) Starship vehicle 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.

Earlier this week, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he’s hopeful of launching the Starship on its third uncrewed test flight in early March. The precise launch date depends on a flight permit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is still investigating the Starship’s second flight in November.

The first two test flights, which took place in April 2023, failed shortly after liftoff. The second flight, however, managed to improve upon the maiden effort by achieving stage separation. SpaceX hopes to reach another milestone with the third flight by getting the Starship spacecraft to orbit.

The initial test flights — when they succeed — will see both parts of the rocket come down in the sea, but the long-term aim is to land the Super Heavy booster upright in the same way that SpaceX now regularly lands its workhorse Falcon 9 booster. Such a system enables a single booster to be flown multiple times, dramatically reducing mission costs.

The Starship spacecraft is designed to land not only on Earth but also on other celestial bodies. Indeed, 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.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
SpaceX Dragon to give the International Space Station an altitude boost today
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the space station.

Friday will see a new event for the International Space Station (ISS) as a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is used to boost its altitude for the first time. As drag works on the space station, its altitude gradually degrades over time, and so it needs to be given an occasional push to keep it at its correct altitude, around 250 miles from the Earth's surface.

The reboost is scheduled for today, November 8, as one of the Dragons that is currently docked to the space station will fire its thrusters for around 12.5 minutes. There are currently two Dragons docked -- one of which carried crew and one of which carried cargo to the station. The cargo vehicle will perform the boost maneuver. As this is the first time this has been attempted, NASA and SpaceX personnel will observe the event carefully.

Read more
What to expect from SpaceX’s sixth megarocket test flight
SpaceX's Super Heavy launch during the fifth test flight of the Starship.

As it unleashes a record 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, the sight of SpaceX’s 120-meter-tall Starship rocket roaring skyward is something to behold.

The Elon Musk-led spaceflight company has already performed five Starship flights since the first one in April 2023, with each one more successful than the last. Comprising the upper-stage Starship spacecraft and the first-stage Super Heavy booster (collectively known as the Starship), the giant vehicle willo be used by NASA for crew and cargo missions to the moon, Mars, and possibly beyond.

Read more
SpaceX reveals date for next flight of Starship megarocket
The Starship launching from Starbase in October 2024.

SpaceX has revealed that it is targeting Monday, November 18, for the sixth test of the Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket comprising the first-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft.

The massive vehicle, which creates around 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, is set to be used by NASA for crew and cargo missions to the moon, and possibly even Mars, though there’s still much testing to be done.

Read more