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Falcon Super Heavy and Starship were stacked for the first time Friday

By Shane McGlaun/

SpaceX has been heavily testing its Starship rocket that will eventually be used to carry cargo and crew to the moon and beyond. Starship has been testing alone so far, but it will be attached to a Falcon Super Heavy booster when it's ready to head into orbit. The massive booster is one of the largest rockets ever built.

On Friday, SpaceX reached a milestone when it stacked and connected the starship with a Falcon Super Heavy for the first time. SpaceX confirmed on Friday via a series of tweets that Super Heavy Booster 4 and Ship 20 were mated for a while Friday, marking a milestone with a fully integrated Starship stack.

While the ship was completely stacked on a launching pad, SpaceX was clear that an orbital launch attempt isn't coming anytime soon. Before an orbital launch can happen, the integrated rocket has to pass testing objectives on the ground. Among the testing, objectives are a series of Static Fire tests of the booster.

While static testing is underway on the booster, SpaceX will also be completing its Orbital Launch Site in preparation for the first orbital launch of the rocket. Before Super Heavy Booster 4 commences any testing, SpaceX plans to conduct ground tests using Booster 3. That booster will undergo cryo proofing to handle the extremely cold liquid propellants used in the rocket.

Booster 3 has already conducted a Static Fire test utilizing only three engines. Video showing the static fire test can be seen above. SpaceX is pushing hard to get its Super Heavy rocket and starship ready to send it to orbit for the first time. However, the Orbital Launch Site is currently still under construction. It has yet to receive some of its major components, including catching arm mechanisms, among other components.

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