Elon Musk Shares SpaceX Super Heavy Booster Photo That Resembles Sarlacc Pit From Star Wars

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted a photo of the Raptor Engine system, which is part of the Super Heavy rocket that would eventually propel the company's enormous Starship spacecraft into orbit, and it looks like something out of Star Wars.

The image shows a tangle of connected gasoline pipes that, according to one Twitter user, resembles Sarlacc, an extraterrestrial beast buried in the Great Pit of Carkoon with just a mouth full of fangs visible.

Jabba the Hutt used Sarlacc's cave as a source of entertainment, forcing hostages into the creature's gaping tentacled mouth to watch them being ripped to shreds.

29 Rockets to Sit Below Booster

The Raptor engine's inner workings might be like something from the famous sci-fi film. Still, they demonstrate the meticulous attention to detail that goes into each of the 29 rockets that will sit underneath the booster.

SpaceX has already completed the feed system for 29 Raptor rocket engines on the Super Heavy Booster, Musk said in the caption. He went on to say that the photograph only revealed "the major gasoline lines."

Another Twitter user pointed out that there was 23 SpaceX personnel working within the maze of pipes, highlighting how massive the engine is.

CNet said SpaceX plans to launch Starship from Starbase, make a brief journey to orbit, and then try a gentle splashdown landing of Starship in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii for its maiden orbital flight test with Super Heavy.

Super Heavy will split after launch and land on a landing platform made from a converted oil drilling rig off the coast of Starbase in the Gulf of Mexico.

Musk's words, SpaceX executives' statements, and business filings suggested that the test may occur as soon as July. Still, it quickly became apparent that this was a far-fetched goal.

Even though Super Heavy and Starship look to be completely stacked, it's uncertain how quickly SpaceX can finish the necessary testing and obtain all necessary FAA permissions for launch.

FAA's website mentioned that federal law requires completing an environmental study, which can take several months or possibly longer.

What About SN20?

According to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) document, the SpaceX SN20 prototype will launch from Texas next month. The spaceship is expected to make a 'soft ocean landing' off the coast of Hawaii after 90 minutes in orbit.

Starship will return to Earth after the rocket places it in orbit, landing roughly 20 miles from shore in the Gulf of Mexico.

Although the huge Starship is currently in parts on the launch pad at SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas site, the company is continuing to test.

Musk has had previous social media spats with the FAA over its licensing procedure and even launched an early Starship prototype last year without the necessary license in place.

Despite the lack of a launch date on the horizon, Musk and SpaceX are more than willing to brag about Starship's accomplishments. It remains to be seen whether it will help to speed up the bureaucracy.

Check out more news and information on SpaceX in Science Times.