SpaceX stacked its own space rocket for the first time

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Teams at SpaceX’s South Texas launch site, nicknamed “Starbase,” assembled the reusable Mars Starship rocket for the first time on August 6. The fully assembled rocket consists of the 50 meter high orbital spacecraft sitting atop a 70 meter Super Heavy booster. Their combined heights make the Starship the largest rocket ever assembled, nearly 30 feet taller than NASA’s Saturn V moon rocket. Shortly after the two sides were connected, the workers began to lift the orbiter from the formation, and it was lifted again at the construction sites.

While there have been many development milestones in recent months, this stacking is particularly noteworthy because it is the same configuration required for the rocket’s final orbital flight. Powered by 29 Raptor engines in the boost phase and 6 more in orbit, it’s unclear when the Starship will actually launch. There are still a few notable items needed to take off and return, including the completion heat shield tile on the orbital stage. In addition, there will certainly be extensive testing on both phases as well as the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) environmental review, which could take months. Despite these elements, it appears SpaceX is still aiming to launch before the end of 2021.

According to Orbital spacecraft flight plan, which SpaceX sent to the FAA, predicts that its inaugural Starship launch will take off from its launch site in South Texas. The super-heavy stage will then land on a 20-mile-long barge off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, with the orbiter continuing on its way to orbit. Then, the orbiting spacecraft will land about 100 kilometers off the coast of Kauai in a “soft landing on the ocean”.

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