Less than a month has passed since the fifth historic flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket; A test launch during which the Superheavy booster was restrained above the launch pad by the mechanical arms of the Starship launch tower after returning to Earth. Now, according to SpaceX, the next test flight may take place as soon as November 18.
Last month’s surprise and successful recovery of Stash’s first stage with Makazila chopsticks and the blue landing of the rocket’s upper stage on the other side of the world allowed SpaceX to avoid a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation into the failed flights. As a result, this company can now proceed to the sixth test launch if the flight profile is not changed.
SpaceX plans to conduct the next launch with the same profile as the previous one, except for adding some minor items to the flight plan. In a statement on its website, the company said: “The first stage of the Starship, known as the Superheavy, will fly on the same route as the fifth test flight that took place on October 13. However, the hardware and software of the booster will be modified with the data obtained from the previous flight last month.”
“Hardware upgrades for the upcoming flight will add more redundancy to the booster’s propulsion systems, increase strength in key areas and shorten the timeline for defueling the booster after successful containment,” SpaceX said. “Mission designers also updated the software controls and parameters for the booster’s launch and return.”
The upper stage of the starship will also follow the same suborbital path as the previous flight. However, during the flight, one of the six Raptor rocket engines will be re-ignited to demonstrate the ability to perform de-orbit maneuvers on future orbital missions. Achieving this goal will mark one of the important milestones in the construction of the starship.
The successful demonstration of the Raptors’ ability to rekindle in space will enable SpaceX to begin commercial flights of Starship and likely pave the way for the launch of the next generation of Starlink satellites in the first half of next year. Starlink’s new, larger satellites can only fit into the Starship’s large cargo hold and offer the much-anticipated “direct-to-cell” feature, or direct internet delivery to mobile phones.
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SpaceX will also use Starship’s next flight to evaluate new heat tiles and other elements of the rocket’s heat shield.
Starship’s previous five test flights had all taken place at dawn South Texas time; But on the next flight, SpaceX will aim to launch the rocket in the launch window in the late afternoon, so that the Starship can enter the Earth’s atmosphere during the day and land in the sunlight in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX has also confirmed that the upcoming flight will be the last time the current prototype Starship will be used. From the seventh flight onwards, the next-generation rocket will fly, which will include a redesigned front flap, larger fuel tanks, and newer tiles and secondary thermal shielding layers.
Achieving the ability to fly the Starship at intervals of almost a month, in only the second year of the rocket’s launch, is an amazing achievement. Shortening the distance between each launch is essential for critical refueling missions to support flights to the Moon or Mars.
