SpaceX brings back Super Heavy Booster 14 on the launch mount

Yesterday, SpaceX brought back Super Heavy Booster 14 on the launch mount and presumably, it will participate in some new tests to verify its reusability.

Usually, the company transports a booster to the launch pad to test its engine ignition, propellant system and ground support and verify its eligibility for the final launch.

This practice was followed for new boosters, but this time, it is Booster 14. It already flew once during Starship Flight 7, SpaceX successfully recovered this after completing its primary tasks.

SpaceX has designed the Starship launch vehicle with two stages, including a Super Heavy booster with 33 Raptor engines. The booster is 71 meters tall, 9 meters wide and 3,400 tons of propellant capacity. It consumes sub-cooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen to generate 7,590 tf of thrust at liftoff.

The Super Heavy takes the second stage to the orbit and separates with hot-staging. With a boostback burn, the first stage makes its way back to the landing site. However, SpaceX has a fail-safe plan for the first stage, which verifies the vehicle and tower’s health before it could return to the landing trajectory.

Once confirmed, the mission control will booster a GO to return to the landing site or splash down in the Gulf of America if it fails on the safety parameters.

SpaceX achieved the first super heavy booster catch during Flight 5, which gathered important flight date to execute this landing for the upcoming test flights. That said, the boosters 14 and 15 successfully repeated this move during Flight 7 and 8.

These two boosters have a good chance to fly again, but only SpaceX could confirm its intention when the rocket performs a static fire.

A closer angle of Booster 14 on the launch mount today in preparation for upcoming testing.

4/1/25 pic.twitter.com/dKWGfZN1lQ

— Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) April 2, 2025