--- title: "SpaceX’s Next Starship Prototype Could be Headed to Launch Pad on Thursday" description: "According to the latest highway closures, SpaceX's SN9 Starship prototype could be headed to the launch pad as early as Thursday." date: "2020-12-15" modified: "2020-12-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacexs-next-starship-prototype-launch-pad-thursday" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX’s Next Starship Prototype Could be Headed to Launch Pad on Thursday ![According to the latest highway closures, SpaceX's SN9 Starship prototype could be headed to the launch pad as early as Thursday.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Making Moves SpaceX may be getting ready to push its next Starship prototype onto the launch pad. According to the latest highway closures in Cameron County, Texas, where SpaceX's test facility is located, the company's SN9 prototype could be headed to the pad as early as Thursday, [as spotted]() by *Ars Technica* senior space editor Eric Berger. ## Next Fireball The new road closures are set for December 17 and 18 from 8 am to 5 pm Texas time. "Starship SN9 and the large crane could head to the launch site during these windows," suggested *NASASpaceFlight* reporter Michael Baylor in [a tweet](). The news comes after the Elon Musk-led company pulled off a [dramatic first high-altitude test flight]() involving the prototype's predecessor SN8, back on December 9. While most of the flight seemed to have gone off without a hitch, the 165-foot structure made a harder-than-planned landing, exploding in a massive fireball. ## Leaning Tower While SpaceX has made great progress on its next prototype, called SN9, the updated rocket did experience a small setback, [seemingly slouching]() against the interior walls of the assembly hall where it was stored late last week. The resulting damage appears to be minimal. SN9 was promptly [picked back up again]() by a giant crane over the weekend. **More on SN9:** *[SpaceX's Next Starship Prototype Appears to Have 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]()