The SpaceX Starship program is the development of a fully reusable, two-stage super heavy-lift launch vehicle designed to transport crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. As the most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, it aims to revolutionize space access by reducing launch costs, with capabilities for in-space refueling and rapid reusability

SpaceX Starship is developed, manufactured, and launched at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Located at the southernmost tip of Texas near the Mexican border and Brownsville, this facility includes a dedicated production site, rocket factory, and an orbital launch site. A full production facility is under construction at Florida's Cape Canaveral. Both sites will be used to launch supplies and eventually astronauts not only to the moon but to Mars, their main objective

Launch pad 2 has been completed. It is fully functional and will be used to launch its first flight, test flight 12, on the May 15th. The booster was placed on the pad May 6th for a static test. With the booster locked down to the pad it was fueled and a test of the Raptor 3 engines was run firing up 33 engines. Many tests were run to make sure it was ready for flight. Stacking of Starship was completed today placing the "ship" on top of the booster

There are two Orbital Launch and Integration Towers (OLIT) at each site, Texas and Florida. They are 500 feet tall and are fully robotic making them the "world's largest robots". Starship once stacked is 400 feet tall making it not only the tallest rocket but is also the most powerful ever developed. The towers are also designed to catch the boosters on their return from flight and will eventually catch the "ship" - Test flight 8 launch and catch of the booster! All has to be perfectly aligned or the booster will be landed in the gulf offshore


* Running now - Wet Dress Rehearsal A Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for SpaceX Starship is a full-scale test where the fully stacked Booster and Ship are loaded with cryogenic liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellants, simulating a complete launch countdown without igniting the engines. The time will extend as needed


Starship

!! LIVE- Starbase Live: - 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility. You can run the slider back

Booster rollout / stack on Pad 2

Changed - Booster Static Fire Test for this flight

Changed - Starship Rollout Timelapse - arriving at the tower it takes a minute for the ship to be lifted, swung over and set down on top of the booster

Developing the New Tower


Latest Update

NASASpaceflight


Launch Date