What To Know
- This announcement was confirmed by Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of the company, who published on X several photos of the rocket of 122 meters high on the Starbase platform, the company’s manufacturing and launch site in South Texas.
- In the first flight, the two stages of the rocket failed to separate, resulting in a flight of only four minutes.
- The Super Heavy booster will aim for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage will attempt a landing in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket is set to make another test flight this week, marking a crucial step in the development of the largest and most powerful rocket ever built.
A live launch on X
SpaceX has announcement this weekend she is aiming for Thursday June 6 for the fourth test flight of Starship. This announcement was confirmed by Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of the company, who published on X several photos of the rocket of 122 meters high on the Starbase platform, the company’s manufacturing and launch site in South Texas. The launch is scheduled for Thursday morning with a launch window that will open from 7:00 a.m. local time (2:00 p.m. Paris time). SpaceX will broadcast the event live on X, starting 30 minutes before liftoff. However, the company is still awaiting the necessary regulatory approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a change to the vehicle’s launch license.
Objective: Recover both vehicles
Recall that the Starship rocket has already completed three test flights to date: in April 2023, November 2023 and on March 14 of this year. Each successive flight has shown significant improvements. In the first flight, the two stages of the rocket failed to separate, resulting in a flight of only four minutes. In the second flight, the separation of the stages was successful and the flight time doubled. Finally, the third flight saw Starship reach orbital speed with a flight lasting almost 50 minutes, although the upper stage broke up during its re-entry into the Earth‘s atmosphere. Starship’s fourth test flight will follow a similar trajectory to the third flight. The Super Heavy booster will aim for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage will attempt a landing in the Indian Ocean. The main objective of this flight will therefore be to demonstrate the ability to recover and reuse both vehicles.
Credits: Elon Musk on X Meanwhile, Wednesday will also be a big day for spaceflight, with NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) aiming to launch the new Starliner capsuleafter multiple delays. The mission will send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station for a stay of about a week. The launch is scheduled around 4:50 p.m. Paris time.
