SpaceX is stacking its Starship prototype in preparation for another test...

SpaceX has conducted several test flights of its Starship prototype, and so far all of them have only flown part of the rocket. Earlier test flights lacked the nosecone on which payloads and possibly astronauts will one day sit. SpaceX is preparing for another test flight, this time installing the nose cone on top of the rocket.

In the upcoming test flight, the vehicle will fly higher than in previous flight tests. Once the missile is ready, it will make an unscrewed test flight to an altitude of nine miles. The missile is currently being assembled at the South Texas site that the company is using for testing.

The nosecone attached to the spaceship in the picture above is known as Starship SN8, which stands for serial number 8. SN8 tested its three Raptor engines in a static fire test earlier this week with no problems. Before the spaceship takes off, it performs another static fire test.

For those unfamiliar with the Starship vehicle, it is the spaceship that SpaceX plans to use to bring people and payloads to remote locations like the moon and Mars. It is also used for other tasks including launching satellites and fulfilling other space travel needs.

The spaceship is huge, 165 feet tall, and will launch on the Super Heavy rocket that has not yet flown. SpaceX goes to great lengths to reuse spaceships, and Elon Musk has determined that both the Starship vehicle and Super Heavy will be reusable. Super Heavy lands vertically like the Falcon 9 boosters. Once on the moon or Mars, Starship has enough of its own power to leave these worlds. Super Heavy is required to remove the spaceship from Earth.