--- title: "Video Shows Robot Welding SpaceX Starship" description: "Footage recently shared by NASASpaceflight shows a massive robotic arm appearing to weld one of the company's Starship nosecones." date: "2024-12-11" modified: "2024-12-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-shows-robot-welding-spacex-starship" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "moon" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Video Shows Robot Welding SpaceX Starship ![Footage recently shared by NASASpaceflight shows a massive robotic arm appearing to weld one of the company's Starship nosecones.]() *\Image: SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images\* ## A Cure for Weldness SpaceX is pulling out all the stops in preparation for the upcoming test launches of its gigantic Starship spacecraft next year. Footage [shared by *NASASpaceflight*]() shows a large robotic arm appearing to weld one of the company's Starship nosecones inside of its "Starfactory," a massive facility at the company's "Starbase" launch complex in South Texas. According to [documents obtained by *The Launch Pad Network*]() last month, SpaceX is targeting no earlier than January 11 for its upcoming seventh Starship test. The launch is expected to involve a new generation of Starship prototypes dubbed "Block 2," the first of which will be "Ship 33." (It's unclear whether the nosecone in the latest footage belongs to it or a different Block 2 Starship.) The prototype will [feature a new forward flap design](), a new heatshield layout, increased propellant capacity, and possibly even more thrust than its predecessors, among other changes. In other words, SpaceX is making some considerable changes to the design of its Moonbound rocket, which could raise the stakes for the upcoming test launch next month. https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1865556154434076929 ## Acid Test According to *NASASpaceflight*, Ship 33 [completed early cryogenic testing]() in late October. But whether it survives its upcoming test flight unscathed remains unclear. During the previous two launches, SpaceX's Starship spacecraft [splashed down in the ocean]() after experiencing scorching and [metal-melting temperatures]() during reentry. To SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, getting to the point of being able to launch again shortly after landing will be the real litmus test for an extremely ambitious, heavy-lift launch platform that [NASA is still hoping to use]() for its first — [and recently delayed]() — human landing on the Moon since the 1970s. "The biggest technology challenge remaining for Starship is a fully & immediately reusable heat shield," he [tweeted]() last month. "Being able to land the ship, refill propellant and launch right away with no refurbishment or laborious inspection. That is the acid test." **More on Starship:** *[NASA's Moon Landing Gets Pushed Back Yet Again]()* ## 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]()