The founder of SpaceX shares a photo of the fuel delivery system for Super Heavy, a rocket equipped with approximately 30 engines and designed for reuse.
On July 30, Elon Musk posted on social media platform Twitter a photo of the engine section inside Super Heavy, the rocket currently being assembled at SpaceX’s facility in South Texas. “The fuel delivery system for the 29 Raptor engines of the Super Heavy rocket is nearing completion,” Musk stated.
The internal structure of the Super Heavy rocket. (Photo: Elon Musk).
In the image, metal tubes radiate from the core of the engine section, resembling the spokes of a bicycle wheel. “These are just the basic fuel lines. The secondary plumbing and wiring systems are our biggest concerns,” Musk added.
Super Heavy is designed to be a reusable vehicle capable of launching the Starship spacecraft to the Moon, Mars, and even beyond. The rocket stands 70 meters tall, while Starship measures 50 meters. Both are equipped with SpaceX’s next-generation Raptor engines, utilizing liquid oxygen and liquid methane as fuel. Starship has 6 engines, while Super Heavy has around 30, according to Musk.
Several test prototypes of Starship have launched from South Texas. In May, a three-engine version named SN15 successfully completed a test flight reaching an altitude of 10 kilometers. No Super Heavy prototypes have launched yet, but SpaceX is expected to achieve this soon. The company is preparing for the first orbital test flight of Starship, which is anticipated to occur in the coming months.
During this flight, the Super Heavy – Starship combination is expected to launch from South Texas. If everything goes as planned, Super Heavy will land in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 32 kilometers from Boca Chica. Meanwhile, Starship will ascend into orbit, ultimately landing in the waters near Kauai, Hawaii.
Elon Musk often sets ambitious timelines, including for the launch of Starship. The billionaire has indicated that Starship could be completed and operational by 2023 if the development and testing processes continue to proceed smoothly.
