Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

SpaceX prepares for sixth test flight of Starship

byadmin
October 25, 2024

SpaceX announced that the Starship spacecraft has been transported to the Starbase ramp for its sixth test flight. Following ground-based tests, Starship will launch from the Starbase facility in Texas.

SpaceX released images of a Super Heavy booster heading to the launch pad for pre-launch testing.

“Flight 6 Super Heavy booster moved to the Starbase pad for testing,” SpaceX said in a post on X/Twitter on Tuesday.
Led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX is eager to begin the sixth test flight of Starship, which consists of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft.

After the ground-based pre-launch tests of Super Heavy’s engines are completed, engineers will also test Starship’s engines.
Starship will then be lifted onto the Super Heavy from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, in preparation for its sixth test flight.
The most powerful rocket ever flown had its latest test on Oct. 13, and it was a resounding success. The mission involved the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms “catching” the Super Heavy booster as it returned to Earth shortly after the Starship spacecraft had been placed into orbit. This was the first test, and it puts SpaceX on a path to create a reliable, reusable Starship system that will allow it to increase flight frequency and reduce mission costs.
There’s no word yet on when the sixth Starship test will take place, but it’s likely to fly again by the end of next month. In a message sent to the news site NASASpaceflight (NSF), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that SpaceX currently has permission to launch, provided it sticks to the same mission profile as Flight 5.
However, if SpaceX changes its mission profile, the FAA will need additional time to review it before deciding whether to grant permission to launch.
“The SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Flight 5 license authorization includes FAA approval of the Flight 6 mission profile. The FAA has determined that the changes requested by Space for Flight 6 are within the scope of those previously analyzed. The changes requested by SpaceX to the Flight 6 operational scope may require further FAA evaluation,” the regulator told NSF. NASA is closely monitoring Starship’s development because it will use the vehicle for the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2026, which will land the first humans on the lunar surface in fifty years.
byadmin
Published
Add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News

By pressing the Subscribe button, you confirm that you have read and are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Read more