SpaceX shares photos of Starship rocket before sixth flight

SpaceX is on the verge of launching its massive Starship rocket on its sixth test flight from its base in Boca Chica, Texas.

The launch, initially scheduled for Monday, November 18, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 19. The Starship consists of the main-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft. You can watch a livestream of the mission to catch all the action.

Recently released images by SpaceX show the 120-meter-tall Starship fully stacked and prepared for flight.

“Propellant load test and preflight checkouts complete ahead of Starship’s sixth flight test,” SpaceX announced in a post on X.

Propellant load test and preflight checkouts complete ahead of Starship's sixth flight test → https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE pic.twitter.com/r6XNKyY2Zf

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 17, 2024

The Starship’s first test flight in April 2023 ended prematurely due to an anomaly. However, subsequent flights have shown improvements in the rocket’s performance. The fifth flight last month included a successful “catch” of the Super Heavy booster, showcasing the rocket’s capabilities.

With a staggering 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, the Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. Once fully tested, it could be used by NASA and SpaceX for missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond, potentially carrying up to 100 people in a single flight.

One of the upcoming tests for the Starship is to land two NASA astronauts on the moon in the Artemis III mission planned for 2026.