SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy rocket returns to launch pad (photos)

The Super Heavy Booster 7 to support Starship rolls to the launch pad on Aug. 6.
The SpaceX Super Heavy rocket prototype known as Booster 7 rolls to the launch pad on Aug. 6. (Image credit: SpaceX/Elon Musk)

SpaceX has rolled the latest version of its massive Super Heavy rocket back to the launch pad.

The "Booster 7" Super Heavy rocket prototype moved to a launch pad at Starbase, SpaceX's South Texas facility, overnight on Friday (Aug. 5) for testing, which is apparently happening today (Aug. 8). You can head over to NASA Spaceflight's YouTube stream if you want to see what's happening live.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared the arrival milestone in tweets from Starbase on Saturday (Aug. 6). "At launch pad," he tweeted with a photo, adding, "I love the smell of hydraulic fuel in the morning."

SpaceX is working to get Booster 7 and its Starship upper-stage spacecraft ready for the program's first-ever orbital test flight, which the company aims to launch in the next few months.

Photos: SpaceX lifts huge Super Heavy rocket onto launch stand

Starship includes a first-stage booster, Super Heavy, and an upper stage vehicle called Starship that is 165 feet (50 meters) tall. 

When fully stacked, Starship and Super Heavy stand 395 feet (120 m) tall, making the combination the world's tallest rocket. SpaceX plans to use the stacked system to send humans and cargo to the moon for NASA, then move on to Mars

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That said, Starship has completed just a few high-altitude test flights to date, and the system hasn't taken to the air since May 2021. 

SpaceX has been dealing with hurdles both technical and regulatory. For example, a recently issued environmental assessment by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires SpaceX to complete 75 actions to mitigate Starship's impact on the surrounding area, which is a biodiversity hotspot.

SpaceX still needs a launch license from the FAA before sending Starship around the world on its ambitious orbital flight, which in turn, requires the company to address all the environmental issues raised in the agency review.

"The environmental review must be completed along with public safety, national security, and other analyses before a decision on whether to grant a launch license can be made. The license application is still pending," the FAA wrote of the matter on June 13.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace