SpaceX has successfully placed the giant Super Heavy first stage on the orbital launch mount at its Starbase site in South Texas, a milestone that brings the company closer to launching the eighth-ever Starship test flight. The rocket, which is being developed to help humanity settle the moon and Mars, consists of two fully reusable elements: Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship.
The 403.5-foot-tall rocket has flown seven times before, with its most recent mission ending in a crash after it suffered a serious problem during flight. SpaceX recently completed an investigation into the cause, which was attributed to unexpectedly high stresses in Starship’s propulsion system. The incident led to propellant leaks and engine shutdowns.
The upcoming test flight will attempt another “chopstick” catch of Super Heavy with the launch tower’s arms and will also see the deployment of four dummy satellites on a suborbital trajectory. If successful, the vehicle is expected to splash down in the Indian Ocean about 66 minutes after launch. This marks SpaceX’s efforts to continue pushing the boundaries of space exploration and development.
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Source: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-super-heavy-launch-pad-flight-8-photos