SpaceX nears completing Super Heavy booster to shoot Starship into orbit: Report

SpaceX has reportedly completed the stacking of its super heavy rocket booster, which will be used to propel the Starship spacecraft into the Earth’s orbit. According to TechCrunch, the super heavy booster is about 220 feet tall, excluding the Starship rocket on top, which itself is around 160 feet tall. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday had posted the picture of the “first super heavy booster” on Twitter. 

According to the report, the super heavy booster will undergo a series of tests before being used alongside the Starship rocket. The super heavy booster will be tested for leakage in its fuel tank, to check if it can handle the pressurization and extreme temperatures caused prior to the launch. The booster will be given a go-ahead if it manages to keep all the inflammable materials stable during the test run. 

Starship development

SpaceX is currently preparing for the launch of the SN11 Starship rocket as images of the American space company’s employees testing the legs of the rocket went viral on social media recently. SpaceX has made significant progress in its development of the Starship rocket. The company was able to successfully launch the flight on its first try last year, but on all three occasions, they failed to land the rocket properly. Earlier this month, the SN10 Starship rocket exploded while trying to land back after a successful altitude test. 

The first two prototypes of the Starship rocket were launched in December 2020 and February 2021. The SN8 rocket, which was tested on December 9 last year, took off as expected and reached an altitude of 7.8 miles. However, the engines failed to slow the rocket down after it flipped and started descending towards Earth for landing, which caused SN8 to explode. The SN9 took off on February 2 this year and was again looking good until the flip came and it failed to correct its angle and speed, exploding upon landing.