SpaceX has achieved a significant milestone in its ambitious space exploration program with the latest arrival of Starship hardware at the launch pad. The company posted photos on X today (Feb. 25), showcasing Super Heavy, the formidable first stage of its Starship megarocket, being lifted onto the orbital launch mount at its Starbase site in South Texas.
This development keeps SpaceX on track for its eighth-ever Starship test flight, scheduled for this Friday (Feb. 28). SpaceX is advancing the Starship project—recognized as the largest and most powerful rocket ever constructed—to aid humanity in settling the moon and Mars, among other ambitious exploration goals.
The 403.5-foot-tall (123 meters) rocket comprises two fully reusable components: Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship, or simply Ship. To date, Starship has flown seven times, with the most recent flight occurring on Jan. 16. This mission was a mixed success; while SpaceX successfully caught Super Heavy with the chopstick arms of Starbase's launch tower about seven minutes post-liftoff, Ship encountered a significant issue and ultimately detonated over the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX recently concluded its anomaly investigation, identifying the cause as unexpectedly high stresses in Ship's propulsion system during flight. These stresses led to a propellant leak, causing engine shutdowns and eventually triggering the vehicle's autonomous flight termination system.
Related: SpaceX catches Super Heavy booster on Starship Flight 7 test but loses upper stage (video, photos)
The objectives for Flight 8 align closely with those of Flight 7, according to SpaceX. The company plans to attempt another Super Heavy chopsticks catch, while Ship will aim to deploy four dummy Starlink satellites on a suborbital trajectory. On Flight 7, the vehicle carried ten mock Starlinks but did not get the opportunity to deploy them.
If all proceeds as planned, Ship will make a splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia approximately 66 minutes after launch.
