It’s less than a week since SpaceX’s epic Starship SN10 rocket landing (and subsequent explosion) and the company is already ready for another test flight.
The latest Starship incarnation, the SN11 prototype, unveiled on Monday (March 8) at the test site of SpaceX near Boca Chica Village in South Texas ahead of the upcoming launch. It is expected to launch at large altitude soon on SpaceX’s fourth Starship flight.
The video from tourism website Spadre.com and other Starship viewers showed the towering SN11 rocket (the name is short name Serial Number 11) being brought to its launch site and placed on top of its test stand with a large crane. The rocket is approximately 50 meters long and is powered by three of SpaceX’s Raptor rocket engines.
Related: Watch the evolution of SpaceX’s rockets in pictures
Starship SN11 is the latest in a family of huge rocket prototypes built by SpaceX to test systems needed for its massive Starship and Super Heavy rockets, the core of a new fully reusable launch system the company hopes to launch used for travel to the moon, Mars and beyond.
On March 3, SpaceX launched its Starship SN10 vehicle at an altitude of 10 kilometers (10 kilometers) and managed to land the vehicle, although the rocket exploded shortly after contact. The mission followed two earlier flights, by Starships SN9 and SN8 respectively, which also managed to take off at their target altitude but were unable to reach their landings. Both SN8 and SN9 exploded in massive fireballs during their landing attempts.
SpaceX has made increasing adjustments and upgrades to its Starship design after each test flight, as it works to perfect the new launch system. The company said each Starship could transport up to 110 tons (100 tons) to low ground.
NASA has selected SpaceX’s Starship as one of three candidates to possibly land astronauts and hardware on the moon under the agency’s Artemis program. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has already booked a flight around the moon on SpaceX’s Starship for himself and eight other passengers. Last week, Maezawa announced a public contest to win the eight seats for his “dearMoon” mission.
Email Tariq Malik at [email protected] or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us on @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.