--- title: "SpaceX Installs Rocket Engines on Starship Booster to Spell “420”" description: "Two adjacent Raptor engines recently installed on SpaceX's Super Heavy booster prototype on Wednesday were numbered \"RB4\" and \"RB20\" — the weed number 420." date: "2021-09-09" modified: "2021-09-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-engines-starship-booster-420" categories: - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "super heavy" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Installs Rocket Engines on Starship Booster to Spell “420” ![Two adjacent Raptor engines recently installed on SpaceX's Super Heavy booster prototype on Wednesday were numbered "RB4" and "RB20" — the weed number 420.]() *\Image: NASASpaceFlight/Futurism\* ## 420 Vision It seems that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has once again professed his love for the [weed number](). Two adjacent Raptor engines [recently installed]() on the space company's Super Heavy booster prototype on Wednesday were numbered "RB4" and "RB20," as [spotted by one eagle-eyed Twitter user](), who was following yesterday's events on a live stream [courtesy of *NASASpaceFlight*](). Together the engines form 420, a number of note in marijuana culture — and which Musk seems to be absolutely obsessed with. ## History Lesson In fact, SpaceX is planning its first orbital test launch of Starship to involve a Super Heavy dubbed Booster 4 and a Starship prototype called Ship 20. You guessed it — the weed number again. At least that time, it was a "total coincidence!" [according to a Musk tweet]() last month. Musk has sometimes had a rocky relationship with the three digit numeral. Back in 2018, he joked ([but not really]()) that he’d take Tesla private at a share price of $420 on Twitter. The comment resulted in a [lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission](). The billionaire appears to have an endless appetite for silly numbers. "Also, booster height was originally 70m, but we eliminated a half barrel for manufacturing efficiency, so now it’s…" Musk [added in last month's tweet](), a reference to 69, another jokey number. Whether the pair of Raptor engines were intentionally lined up to form the number 420 is still unclear. Musk has yet to release an official statement regarding the incident. But if it was a coincidence, chances are he'll be delighted to find out. **More on Super Heavy:** *[SpaceX Lifts Massive Starship Booster Onto Launchpad]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()