---
title: "SpaceX Moves Next Starship Prototype to Launch Pad"
description: "SpaceX has rolled out its next full-scale Starship prototype called SN9 onto the launchpad, setting the stage for yet another high-altitude test flight."
date: "2020-12-23"
modified: "2020-12-23"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-moves-next-starship-prototype-launch-pad"
categories:
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
  - "the digest"
---

# SpaceX Moves Next Starship Prototype to Launch Pad

![SpaceX has rolled out its next full-scale Starship prototype called SN9 onto the launchpad, setting the stage for yet another high-altitude test flight.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/spacex-moves-next-starship-prototype-launch-pad.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: BocaChicaGal/NASASpaceFlight\</em\>*

## Next Up

SpaceX has rolled out its next full-scale Starship prototype onto the launchpad, setting the stage for yet another riveting high-altitude test flight.

The Elon Musk-led space company is moving fast with the development of its Mars-bound rocket, the latest prototype of which is called SN9. It's been less than two weeks since it [launched](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-explodes-spectacular-fireball>) its SN8 prototype to a height of roughly 40,000 feet.

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1341524045813014528

## Big Ball of Fire

The last test flight mostly seemed to go pretty well — until the end, when it smashed into the ground in a [spectacular fireball](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-explodes-spectacular-fireball>). But CEO Elon Musk took the explosion in stride, [noting on Twitter](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1336809767574982658>) that "we got all the data we needed!"

SpaceX has yet to confirm when SN9 will set out on its maiden voyage. Road closures suggest that there's a small chance such a test flight could occur before the end of the year, as [*Teslarati* reports](<https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-next-starship-shrugs-off-fall-damage/>).

*NASASpacelight* [suggests that SN9 might](<https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/12/starship-sn9-roll-launch-site-super-heavy-ramps-up/>) only have to go through a single cryo-proof testing run, followed by a static test of the prototype's three massive Raptor engines.

SN9 did appear to [take a bit of a tumble](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-prototype-fallen-over>) earlier this month inside its assembly building, visibly leaning over. Luckily, its aerodynamic flaps seem to have taken the brunt of the fall and the structure appears to be in good shape.

**READ MORE:** [SpaceX moves next high-altitude Starship to launch pad after fixing fall damage](<https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-next-starship-shrugs-off-fall-damage/>) \[*Teslarati*\]

**More on Starship:** *[SpaceX's Next Starship Prototype Appears to Have Fallen Over](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-prototype-fallen-over>)*

## 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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)