astronomy

List of Super Heavy boosters

List of Super Heavy boosters is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of Super Heavy boosters rather than just read about it. In short: Since April 2023, Super Heavy has been launched 13 times, with 8 successes and 5 failures. Starship, the vehicle Super Heavy composes when combined with the Starship spacecraft, has been developed with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale.

Key takeaways

List of Super Heavy boosters belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of Super Heavy boosters to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of Super Heavy boosters from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Since April 2023, Super Heavy has been launched 13 times, with 8 successes and 5 failures. Starship, the vehicle Super Heavy composes when combined with the Starship spacecraft, has been developed with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale. SpaceX aims to achieve this by reusing both rocket stages, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, creating a mass-manufacturing pipeline and adapting it to a wide range of space missions. Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's reusable launch system development program and plan to colonize Mars. There are currently three planned versions of Super Heavy: Block 1 (also known as Version 1 or V1), Block 2, and Block 3. As of May 2026, 6 Block 1 vehicles and 4 Block 2 vehicles have flown., and Block 3 vehicles have flown 1 time. The Super Heavy booster is reusable, and is recovered via large arms on the tower capable of catching the descending vehicle. As of May 2025, 2 booster has been refurbished and subsequently flown at least a second time, though 3 boosters, Booster 12, 14, and 15, have been recovered after flight, with Booster 12 having damage to one of its chine sections, and Booster 14 being reused.

Development

Ground testing (BN1–B6)

BN1 BN1 was the first Super-Heavy Booster prototype, a pathfinder that was not intended for flight tests. Sections of the ~66 m (217 ft) tall test article were manufactured throughout autumn 2020. Section stacking began in December 2020. BN1 was fully stacked inside the High Bay on March 18, 2021, and was scrapped on March 30, 2021.

B3 Booster 3 completed stacking in the High Bay on June 29, 2021, and moved to the test stand. A cryogenic proof test was completed on July 13, followed by a static fire test on July 19. BN3/Booster 3 was partially scrapped on August 15, while the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank remained welded to the Test Stand until January 13, 2022.

B4–B5

B4 was fully stacked on August 1, with all 29 engines installed on August 2, 2021. Grid fins were added to support atmospheric reentry testing. S20 was stacked on top of Booster 4 on August 6, 2021 for a fitting test, making it, for two years, the tallest rocket ever fully integrated. B4 completed its first cryogenic proof test on December 17, 2021, followed by a pneumatic proof test, another cryogenic proof test and a full-load cryogenic proof test. B4 and Ship 20 were then retired. On March 6, 2024, B4s grid fins were removed, it was moved to the Mega Bay on March 21 where it was scrapped the following day. Parts for B5 were observed as early as July 19, 2021. Stacking for B5 completed in November, although on December 8, B5 was retired alongside SN15 and SN16. It was later scrapped.

Block 1 launches (B7–B13)

B7–B8

B7 was placed on the orbital launch mount on March 31, 2022, and completed two cryogenic proof tests in April, resulting in the rupturing of the downcomer. After being repaired, it was returned to OLP-1, and completed two cryogenic tests. It was then moved to Mega Bay 1 for engine and grid fin installation. On July 11, after returning to OLP-1 for engine testing, B7 experienced a detonation underneath the engines during an attempted 33-engine spin prime test. It returned to OLP-1 on August 4 with only the 20 outer Raptor engines, and completed its first single-engine static fire test on August 9, followed by a second two days later. After receiving its thirteen inner engines, B7 conducted a series of spin prime and static fire tests throughout August and September, before again returning to the Mega Bay on September 21. After receiving additional upgrades it was lifted on the launch pad on October 8. Ship 24 was stacked on top B7 on October 12, and was removed after completing multiple cryogenic load tests. B7 then completed a spin prime test of multiple engines on November 12, a 14-engine static fire test on November 14, and finally an 11-engine static fire in an autogenous pressurization test on November 29. In January 2023, Booster 7 and Ship 24 conducted a wet dress rehearsal, before attempting a 33-engine static fire on February 9. On April 20, 2023, Booster 7 was launched on Integrated Flight Test 1, being destroyed before stage separation after a fire in the aft section severed connections between its engines and flight computers, resulting in a loss of attitude control and FTS activation. B8 was fully stacked on July 8, 2022. It was moved to the launch site on September 19, 2022, though it was not tested there. Booster 8 was scrapped in January 2023 in favor of Booster 9. Booster 8's hydraulic power units were used to replace Booster 7's, along with several other parts, including the engine shielding.

B9–B13

B9 finished stacking in late 2022, and featured upgrades, including electric thrust vector control (ETVC) gimbaling system of the raptor engines, replacing the previous hydraulic power units that were used up to Booster 8. It was moved to the OLS cryogenic station on December 15. Two cryogenic proof tests were conducted on December 21 and December 29, both of which were successful. After engine installation, Booster 9 was rolled to OLP-1 on July 20, conducting a cryogenic proof test on OLP-1, followed by a spin prime test on August 4. On August 6, Booster 9 fired 29 engines for 2.7 seconds, instead of the planned 33 engines for five seconds. It was then moved off of OLP-1 and rolled back to Mega Bay 1, where its vented interstage was added on August 16. B9 was moved back to OLP-1 on August 22 and underwent another spin prime test the next day. On August 25, Booster 9 underwent a static fire of all 33 engines, with two engines shutting off early. Ship 25 (S25) was lifted onto B9 for the first time on September 5, and was destacked several times throughout the rest of the month and mid October. On October 22, B9 underwent two partial cryogenic tests, while S25 was not tested, followed by a full wet dress rehearsal (WDR) two days later. On November 18, Booster 9 and Ship 25 lifted off with all 33 engines lit at 7:02 am CST. Following the successful separation from S25, B9 was destroyed after several engine failures during the boost-back burn.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of Super Heavy boosters

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of Super Heavy boosters claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of Super Heavy boosters before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of Super Heavy boosters ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of Super Heavy boosters

In research: List of Super Heavy boosters appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of Super Heavy boosters in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of Super Heavy boosters is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Lists of rockets, Lists of spacecraft, SpaceX Starship, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of Super Heavy boosters outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of Super Heavy boosters in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of Super Heavy boosters means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is List of Super Heavy boosters in simple terms?

Why does List of Super Heavy boosters matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of Super Heavy boosters?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of Super Heavy boosters.