SpaceX is making steady progress toward building out the pad at NASA’s Cape Canaveral site in Florida for the first Starship launch from the Space Coast.
On Tuesday, SpaceX installed the Ship Quick Disconnect (QD) arm on the launch tower at Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A). Space launch enthusiast site NASASpaceflight shared footage of engineers putting the part in place.
The Ship QD is a key component of the Starship’s launch tower. It helps to stabilize the 123-meter-tall rocket by clamping onto the first-stage Super Heavy booster’s upper section with huge grippers and pads, aiding the safe and precise stacking of the upper-stage Ship spacecraft.
The arm also connects with the Ship, delivering liquid oxygen, liquid methane, power, and data.
SpaceX is building out a number of Starship launch pads on the Space Coast, including another one at SLC-37. The stated aim is to perform up to 76 Starship launches each year from SLC-37, and up to 44 launches annually from LC-39A.
It’s hoped that the first Starship launch from Cape Canaveral will take place this year, though the timing depends largely on regulatory approvals and infrastructure readiness.
Up to now, all 11 launches of the Starship — the most powerful rocket ever to fly — have taken place from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, southern Texas.
The most recent flight took place in October last year and was considered the most successful to date, with SpaceX meeting most of the mission goals.
But there are still some huge hurdles to clear before the rocket can be used for crew and cargo missions to the moon, Mars, and possibly beyond.
These include getting the Starship into orbit, refueling the spacecraft in orbit for onward flight to the moon and Mars, and landing it back on Earth in a similar way to how it brings home the Super Heavy booster.
NASA wants to use a modified version of the Ship spacecraft to land the first humans on the lunar surface since the final Apollo mission in 1972. The Artemis III mission is currently set for 2027, though the date could slip depending on the progress made with the Starship’s development.