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SpaceX Super Heavy booster assembly to start “this week,” says Elon Musk

Elon Musk says that SpaceX is just days away from starting production of the first Super Heavy booster. (SpaceX)

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5 years ago

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CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX is on track to begin fabricating Starship’s first Super Heavy booster prototype later “this week” and even revealed plans to hop that booster in the very near future.

Taller than an entire two-stage Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy rocket, Super Heavy will be the largest and most powerful liquid rocket booster ever built by a factor of two (or more). Measuring ~70m (~230 ft) tall, Super Heavy will weigh at least 3500 metric tons (7.7 million lb) when fully loaded with liquid oxygen and methane propellant. According to Musk, SpaceX’s thrust target for the booster is 7500 tons (~16.5 million lbf) – significantly more than twice the thrust of the Saturn V and Soviet N-1 rockets and more than three times the thrust of SpaceX’s own Falcon Heavy.

On paper, while multiple times larger and more powerful, Super Heavy will be substantially simpler than Falcon Heavy thanks to its single-core. Built out of the same simple steel rings used to assemble Starship prototypes, Super Heavy should also be substantially cheaper to build than Falcon Heavy. Thanks to the experience SpaceX has already gained through months of Starship production, testing, and iterative improvement, initial Super Heavy prototype production could have a much smoother start, but several major challenges remain.

Elon Musk says that SpaceX is just days away from starting production of the first Super Heavy booster. (SpaceX)

SpaceX has structured its Starship development program in such a way that the hardest technical challenges are generally first in line. Raptor engine testing came first in September 2016, although SpaceX did simultaneously build and test a full-scale carbon composite liquid oxygen – a material choice that was ultimately made redundant by the move to steel in late 2018. Up next, Starhopper served as a sort of proof of concept for the assembly of a flightworthy steel rocket in an unprotected open-air tent.

Starship Mk1 came next and was built as a full-scale prototype in similarly spartan conditions – but with much thinner steel. Mk1 ultimately failed prematurely, serving as a catalyst for SpaceX to substantially upgrade its South Texas rocket production capabilities, as well as its manufacturing techniques. Beginning in January 2020, SpaceX completed a rapid-fire series of tests with three stout tank prototypes and five full-scale Starship tank sections over the next seven months, passing multiple challenging pressure tests, wet dress rehearsals, Raptor static fires, and even a 150m (500 ft) hop.

The biggest challenges still facing Starship (5+ minute Raptor burns, skydiver-style landings, heat shield qualification, orbital launch/reentry/reuse) are mostly unique to the orbital spacecraft. In other words, with all SpaceX has already accomplished so far with Starship development, it could very well be ready to build a fully-capable Super Heavy prototype right now.

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Along those lines, Musk says that there’s a chance that SpaceX will be ready to hop a Super Heavy booster prototype as early as October 2020 – less than two months after the first prototype enters production. Musk also noted that the biggest technical challenge facing Super Heavy is its extraordinarily complex ‘thrust puck’ – a metal structure that must host up to 28 Raptor engines and transfer all of their thrust through the rest of the rocket.

Per past comments, SpaceX will begin booster testing – possibly up to and including the first few orbital launch attempts – with as few Raptor engines as possible. For Musk’s aforementioned booster hop test, Super Heavy could reportedly hop with as few as two Raptors installed. Beyond those early tests and Super Heavy thrust puck development, perhaps only other challenge facing SpaceX is finalizing Raptor’s design to the point that dozens of engines can be built in short order. As of now, SpaceX has completed 40 Raptor prototypes in 18 months, while every Starship/Super Heavy pair will need as many as 34 engines apiece.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Why Tesla’s Q3 could be one of its biggest quarters in history

Tesla could stand to benefit from the removal of the $7,500 EV tax credit at the end of Q3.

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5 hours ago

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July 3, 2025

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has gotten off to a slow start in 2025, as the first half of the year has not been one to remember from a delivery perspective.

However, Q3 could end up being one of the best the company has had in history, with the United States potentially being a major contributor to what might reverse a slow start to the year.

Earlier today, the United States’ House of Representatives officially passed President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” after it made its way through the Senate earlier this week. The bill will head to President Trump, as he looks to sign it before his July 4 deadline.

The Bill will effectively bring closure to the $7,500 EV tax credit, which will end on September 30, 2025. This means, over the next three months in the United States, those who are looking to buy an EV will have their last chance to take advantage of the credit. EVs will then be, for most people, $7,500 more expensive, in essence.

The tax credit is available to any single filer who makes under $150,000 per year, $225,000 a year to a head of household, and $300,000 to couples filing jointly.

Ending the tax credit was expected with the Trump administration, as his policies have leaned significantly toward reliance on fossil fuels, ending what he calls an “EV mandate.” He has used this phrase several times in disagreements with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Nevertheless, those who have been on the fence about buying a Tesla, or any EV, for that matter, will have some decisions to make in the next three months. While all companies will stand to benefit from this time crunch, Tesla could be the true winner because of its sheer volume.

If things are done correctly, meaning if Tesla can also offer incentives like 0% APR, special pricing on leasing or financing, or other advantages (like free Red, White, and Blue for a short period of time in celebration of Independence Day), it could see some real volume in sales this quarter.

Tesla is just a shade under 721,000 deliveries for the year, so it’s on pace for roughly 1.4 million for 2025. This would be a decrease from the 1.8 million cars it delivered in each of the last two years. Traditionally, the second half of the year has produced Tesla’s strongest quarters. Its top three quarters in terms of deliveries are Q4 2024 with 495,570 vehicles, Q4 2023 with 484,507 vehicles, and Q3 2024 with 462,890 vehicles.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving testing continues European expansion: here’s where

Tesla has launched Full Self-Driving testing in a fifth European country ahead of its launch.

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9 hours ago

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July 3, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Full Self-Driving is being tested in several countries across Europe as the company prepares to launch its driver assistance suite on the continent.

The company is still working through the regulatory hurdles with the European Union. They are plentiful and difficult to navigate, but Tesla is still making progress as its testing of FSD continues to expand.

Today, it officially began testing in a new country, as more regions open their doors to Tesla. Many owners and potential customers in Europe are awaiting its launch.

On Thursday, Tesla officially confirmed that Full Self-Driving testing is underway in Spain, as the company shared an extensive video of a trip through the streets of Madrid:

The launch of Full Self-Driving testing in Spain marks the fifth country in which Tesla has started assessing the suite’s performance in the European market.

Across the past several months, Tesla has been expanding the scope of countries where Full Self-Driving is being tested. It has already made it to Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Germany previously.

Tesla has already filed applications to have Full Self-Driving (Supervised) launched across the European Union, but CEO Elon Musk has indicated that this particular step has been the delay in the official launch of the suite thus far.

In mid-June, Musk revealed the frustrations Tesla has felt during its efforts to launch its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite in Europe, stating that the holdup can be attributed to authorities in various countries, as well as the EU as a whole:

Tesla Full Self-Driving’s European launch frustrations revealed by Elon Musk

“Waiting for Dutch authorities and then the EU to approve. Very frustrating and hurts the safety of people in Europe, as driving with advanced Autopilot on results in four times fewer injuries! Please ask your governing authorities to accelerate making Tesla safer in Europe.”

Tesla said last year that it planned to launch Full Self-Driving in Europe in 2025.

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xAI’s Memphis data center receives air permit despite community criticism

xAI welcomed the development in a post on its official xAI Memphis account on X.

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11 hours ago

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July 3, 2025

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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has secured an air permit from Memphis health officials for its data center project, despite critics’ opposition and pending legal action. The Shelby County Health Department approved the permit this week, allowing xAI to operate 15 mobile gas turbines at its facility.

Air permit granted

The air permit comes after months of protests from Memphis residents and environmental justice advocates, who alleged that xAI violated the Clean Air Act by operating gas turbines without prior approval, as per a report from WIRED. 

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and the NAACP has claimed that xAI installed dozens of gas turbines at its new data campus without acquiring the mandatory Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit required for large-scale emission sources.

Local officials previously stated the turbines were considered “temporary” and thus not subject to stricter permitting. xAI applied for an air permit in January 2025, and in June, Memphis Mayor Paul Young acknowledged that the company was operating 21 turbines. SELC, however, has claimed that aerial footage shows the number may be as high as 35.

Critics are not giving up

Civil rights groups have stated that they intend to move forward with legal action. “xAI’s decision to install and operate dozens of polluting gas turbines without any permits or public oversight is a clear violation of the Clean Air Act,” said Patrick Anderson, senior attorney at SELC. 

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“Over the last year, these turbines have pumped out pollution that threatens the health of Memphis families. This notice paves the way for a lawsuit that can hold xAI accountable for its unlawful refusal to get permits for its gas turbines,” he added.

Sharon Wilson, a certified optical gas imaging thermographer, also described the emissions cloud in Memphis as notable. “I expected to see the typical power plant type of pollution that I see. What I saw was way worse than what I expected,” she said.

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