After a fifth well-conducted test flight, SpaceX’s immense Starship will soon return to service. According to a message posted by Elon Musk on Twitter/X, the sixth launch of this behemoth is scheduled for November 18.
The last time this machine, more than 120 meters high, launched was on October 13 – and the least we can say is that SpaceX hit very hard on this occasion. After four increasingly promising first flights, the Super Heavy booster which plays the role of first stage managed to return to Earth and throw itself directly into the arms of the launch tower from which it had departed a little earlier. A maneuver with exceptional precision which leaves you wondering about the potential of the machine.
Now the goal will be to repeat this true feat of engineering with the second stage, the Starship itself. But this maneuver will not yet be on the program for the sixth test flight. SpaceX’s official announcement indicates that the company will attempt a new recovery of the Super Heavy, but not the second stage. She only indicates wanting “ expand vehicle capabilities to move closer to full system reuse “. In other words, she has no intention of taking the plunge just yet; the Starship will once again end its course in the ocean.
New preliminary tests and hardware update
But this does not mean that the sixth flight will be a carbon copy of the fifth, far from it. Elon Musk’s company will notably attempt re-firing of one of the Starship’s six Raptor engines in the vacuum of space. This is an important test which will confirm that the second stage will indeed be capable of returning to Earth from orbit. In addition, SpaceX also plans “ a series of heat shield experiments and maneuver changes for vehicle re-entry and descent over the Indian Ocean ».
In the meantime, the vehicle as a whole will also have undergone some substantial modifications. “ Hardware upgrades for this flight add additional redundancy to the booster’s propulsion systems, increase structural strength in key areas, and shorten the time to unload the booster engines after successful capture », wrote SpaceX. “ Mission architects also updated the control systems and criteria that will give the green light for the launch and return of the booster. »
We won’t see both stages of the Starship return to Starbase together this month. But it’s only a postponement. If this sixth flight goes as planned and the Super Heavy returns safely again, SpaceX will undoubtedly be well positioned to consider this new major step from the seventh flight. We therefore give you see you on November 18 to attend this sixth mission which should bring this revolutionary machine even closer to maturity.
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