Posted on 08/15/2025 7:01:50 AM PDT by Red Badger
These fins are said to be among the largest aerodynamic control surfaces ever built for a rocket.
Grid fin for the next generation Super Heavy booster. SpaceX/X
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has redesigned some parts of its colossal Mars-bound Starship to improve its stability and control.
The most notable change is the removal of a landing fin from the Super Heavy booster, which will now use three redesigned grid fins that are 50% larger and stronger to improve vehicle control during descent.
The announcement was made on Wednesday via a post on X, where SpaceX shared images revealing the complex, honeycomb-like surface of the new grid fins.
The first grid fin for the next generation Super Heavy booster. The redesigned grid fins are 50% larger and higher strength, moving from four fins to three for vehicle control while enabling the booster to descend at higher angles of attack. pic.twitter.com/Nc6bavBHD8
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 13, 2025
Interestingly, these fins are said to be among the largest aerodynamic control surfaces ever built for a rocket.
Weighing in on the redesign, SpaceX CEO Musk shared the company’s announcement on X, adding a characteristically concise comment: “Best part is no part.”
Reports cite the development in the wake of recent test flight failures.
Improving descent and catch
To control the rocket’s position and flight path during descent and re-entry, grid fins manipulate the air passing through them.
With their larger surface area and increased strength, the new grid fins will give the booster greater maneuverability to descend at a steeper, more controlled angle during the landing phase.
The new fins are also being integrated into the booster’s recovery system.
These redesigned parts will align with the launch tower’s catch arms, which are designed to grab the descending booster out of the air.
SpaceX has added a new catch point to the booster and mounted the fins lower to align well with the tower’s arms. This change allows the tower to catch the returning rocket directly, eliminating the need for a landing pad.
Reportedly, the lower position of the fins also protects them from the intense heat of the rocket’s engines.
Moreover, the social media post mentioned that the fins’ internal parts, like the shaft, are now inside the booster’s main fuel tank for better protection.
VIDEO AT LINK.............
Previous failed attempts
The path to Mars hasn’t been smooth for SpaceX and its ambitious Starship program.
The redesign comes after the most recent failed test flight for the fully integrated rocket in May.
After the test flight, the Super Heavy booster failed to return to its launchpad and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico instead.
The main ship, meanwhile, continued its flight over the Indian Ocean before it too exploded.
In another incident in June, the rocket’s upper stage exploded while on a test stand during preparations for SpaceX’s tenth Starship flight.
The company is gearing up for its 10th orbital flight test, a critical demonstration of the new design.
Reportedly, the next Starship launch attempt could occur as early as Saturday, August 16, with a launch window between 6:30 am and 8:30 pm local time.
SpaceX typically keeps launch dates under wraps until closer to the time.
It is based on maritime hazard warnings from the US, which cover the waterways and sea areas around SpaceX’s Starbase facility in southern Texas.
“Navigation hazards from rocket launching activity may include, free-falling debris and/or descending vehicles or vehicle components, under various means of control,” the advisory noted, as the Independent reported.
Musk indicated in an X post earlier this month that SpaceX was aiming to launch Starship in mid-August.
The billionaire has set an ambitious goal to send the world’s largest rocket, with Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus on board, to Mars by the end of 2026.
Given the recent failures and NASA’s budget cuts, the plan may be subject to further delays.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mrigakshi Dixit Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.
I would jump to the conclusion that they make drag without side thrust or nasty turbulence.
EVERY TIME SOMEONE SAYS DEGRADING THINGS ABOUT MUSK:
I ASK THEM:
“YOU REALLY WANT TO BAD MOUTH A GUY WHO CAN SEND UP A ROCKET & THEN HIS EQUIPMENT CAN CATCH THE BOOSTER “WITH OPEN ARMS” FOR REUSE???” REALLY?????
HOW MANY SUCH BOOSTERS DID NASA DUMP INTO THE OCEANS?
HOW MUCH POLLUTION WAS THAT???
Mars? We can’t even make it to the moon without a studio 🎥
REDUNDACY
Exactly.
NASA said it couldn’t be done...................
Whatever it is, they are brilliant!...............
yep, it would be 100X easier to colonize Antarctica than mars.
Humans engineer our environment to make much of the Earth habitable and support a large population, especially through agriculture (the most environmentally damaging of all human activities). Mars has plenty of water locked in ice. You just need power to generate air, water, and habitation.
But there’s an inside component so that probably helps a lot.
Like the ballroom that is gonna be built at the white house?
These booster updates are not related to the recent failures of the second stage.
That just makes Antarctica 100X less interesting.
Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids.
In fact it’s cold as Hell.
IOW Mars needs a bubble.
Explain the photographs of the Apollo landing sites by the Chinese, Japanese, and Indian recon satellites. I know you wouldn't believe those made my US assets.
My take is that the catching arms is what makes the fins unnecessary.
Did you know Trump is paying for that himself?
Which I believe are sabotages...............
“ There is no air to breathe on mars, temps are extremely hostile to humans, and no water to grow crops”
Sounds like West Texas and Eastern NM. We get along fine.
For one thing, just because there are 33 of them doesn’t mean that they are small engines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Raptor#Raptor_2
Mass (kg) 1525
Thrust (t) 280
Chamber pressure (bar) 350
Specific impulse (s) 350
Engine only TWR 184
Gotta have that kinda kick because:|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Super_Heavy
Block 3 Super Heavy
Height 72.3 m (237 ft)[4]
Diameter 9 m (30 ft)
Propellant mass 3,650,000 kg (8,050,000 lb)[4]
Powered by 33 × Raptor 3 engines[4]
Maximum thrust 80.8 MN (18,200,000 lbf)[4]
Specific impulse SL: 330 s (3.2 km/s), Vac: 350 s (3.4 km/s)
Propellant CH4 / LOX
it carries this on top:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_(spacecraft)
The Block 2 version of Starship is 52.1 m (171 ft) tall, 9 m (30 ft) wide
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