Next Week, SpaceX Aims to Conduct Second Starship Flight Test

On November 12, 2023

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An announcement of a planned attempt to re-launch Starship, the incredibly powerful rocket, has been made by SpaceX for the following week. This comes after a failed attempt in April, which culminated in a dramatic explosion. 

'We are planning for Starship to lift off as soon as November 17, subject to obtaining final regulatory approval,' stated SpaceX on X Friday evening.

According to SpaceX, Starship is seen as a next-generation, entirely reusable spacecraft that could potentially transport humans and cargo to Mars.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is keeping a close watch on the project, having signed a contract with SpaceX for a specific Starship model to be utilized as a lunar lander in the Artemis program. This program envisions sending astronauts back to the Moon by mid-decade.

Following its take-off from SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, the unmanned rocket exploded four minutes into the flight on April 20. Due to multiple engine failures and unsuccessful separation of the first-stage booster from the spacecraft above, Starship met its end.

Upon crashing into the Gulf of Mexico, the rocket flared up and ultimately dissolved, leading to a dust cloud spreading across a nearby town that lay several miles (kilometers) away.

A launch license for conducting another test must be given by Federal Aviation Administration. After finishing its safety review of Starship in October, it still awaits approval from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the license to be granted.

SpaceX’s promotional materials reveal a new Starship at the launchpad, fully prepped for launch.

At 394 feet (120 meters), Starship generates a thrust of 16.7 million pounds (74.3 Meganewtons), more than twice the output of Saturn V, the rockets utilized for transporting Apollo astronauts to the Moon.

Starship has been engineered for complete reusability, with both of its stages designed to return to Earth, thus significantly bringing down costs.

Elon Musk, during an early October conference, mentioned that since the initial Boca Chica test, Starship’s separation system has been modified. He stressed that the 'riskiest part of the flight' would be to test out this new system.

As per the SpaceX CEO, it's better not to set 'expectations too high.'

The flight's trajectory will be akin to the one in April. Following separation, the plan is for Starship to ascend to a height 'just a smidge below orbit,' per Musk, complete almost a full circle around Earth, and subsequently splash down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

© 2023 AFP