SpaceX is edging toward the 11th flight of its Starship rocket as it prepares to take the upper-stage Ship to the pad for a static fire test.
NASASpaceflight shared a video (below) of the Ship on the transport stand just ahead of it being rolled to Pad 1 at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in southern Texas.
SpaceX test fired the first-stage Super Heavy booster on September 7, so once the Ship has been gone through the same procedure, the spaceflight company will be eager to proceed with the 11th launch.
While SpaceX has yet to share any firm dates regarding the 11th flight, recent reports have suggested that it’s targeting later this month or early next for launch.
The Starship launches are a spectacular sight, with the Super Heavy generating a record-breaking 17 million pounds of thrust as it leaves the pad, with all 33 of its Raptor engines firing at full power to get the 121-meter-tall vehicle airborne.
The Starship rocket last flew on August 26 in a flight deemed a big success, with both the Super Heavy and the Ship making soft, controlled landings on water at the end of their flights.
Once fully certified, the rocket will be used by NASA to send crew and cargo to the moon, and it could also fly the first humans to Mars.
But SpaceX faces many challenges to get the rocket ready for such ambitious missions. For example, it has to be able to land the Ship back at base, a feat that it could attempt for the first time next year. Getting the Starship to orbit is also on the to-do list, as up to now its flights have only been suborbital.
Still, the team has made steady progress since the Starship’s first flight in 2023, so few would bet against it reaching its lofty goals.
