SpaceX intends to captures Starship's Super Heavy booster with mechanical arms known as "chopsticks." See an animation of a catch and recent footage from tests. Credit: Space.com | animation & footage

SpaceX has delivered a new animated look at the launch of Starship to Mars. See the launch, Super Heavy booster re-entry and 'chopsticks' capture, on-orbit fueling and journey to the surface of the Red Planet.

SpaceX is gearing up to debut Starship’s Version 3, testing the upgraded rocket’s ability to reach orbit for the first time as the company races to fly missions to the Moon and Mars. SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk announced on X that Starship’s upcoming launch is in six weeks,

The first Starship test flight of 2026 is scheduled for as soon as early March as SpaceX enters a critical year in the vehicle’s development.

The launch date had been up in the air after the rocket's booster stage suffered an explosion during testing in November.