--- title: "SpaceX Just Rolled Its Next Starship Prototype Onto the Pad" description: "SpaceX has hoisted its next massive Starship prototype called SN11 to the launch pad at its testing facilities in Boca Chica, Texas." date: "2021-03-09" modified: "2021-03-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-sn11-rolled-onto-pad" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Just Rolled Its Next Starship Prototype Onto the Pad ![SpaceX has hoisted its next massive Starship prototype called SN11 to the launch pad at its testing facilities in Boca Chica, Texas.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Next Up SpaceX has rolled its next massive [Starship]() prototype to the launch pad at its testing facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, [*NASA Spaceflight*]() reports. The prototype, dubbed SN11, is the fourth full-scale test subject of the company's ambitious spacecraft. The three prototypes that came before it — SN8, SN9, and SN10 — were all run through their paces, with varying degrees of success. Case in point, all three test flights ended in [massive fireballs](). ## Fourth Time's the Charm Will SN11 stand a chance of making a safe landing — and not blowing up? For now, we'll have to wait and see. SpaceX is going through its Starship testing at a breakneck pace, with test fires of SN11 likely only days away, as *NASA Spaceflight* reports. Its first flight could happen as soon as next week — but that's a tall order, even for SpaceX. ## All In SN11 will use a different approach to make a softer landing than its predecessors. "Next time, min(imum) two engines all the way to the ground and restart engine 3 if engine 1 or 2 have issues," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk [explained in a tweet]() earlier this month, following SN10's soft(er than usual) [landing and subsequent explosion](). SpaceX is [throwing everything]() it has at developing the massively ambitious spacecraft. Chances are that it's only a matter of time until soft landings of Starship prototypes will become commonplace. **READ MORE:** [Starship SN11 arrives at Pad B as SpaceX plans for the future]() \[*NASA Spaceflight*\] **More on Starship:** *[SpaceX Reveals Plans For Hugely Expanded Spaceport in Texas]()* ## 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]()