The Starship rocket is preparing for its seventh flight in December 2024
SpaceX
SpaceX’s next Starship test flight will be its most ambitious to date, and the first will feature a new “block 2” version with a number of design updates.
What is Starship?
The Starship is the most powerful rocket ever to fly. SpaceX aims to develop a rapidly reusable vehicle that can carry large payloads into orbit, land on Earth and launch another mission within hours.
Somewhat confusingly, Starship is the name given to the entire spacecraft, the Super Heavy booster and launch vehicle stacked together, and only embarked after release from the booster.
SpaceX He has quickly iterated on the Super Heavy and Starship, taking a Silicon Valley approach, seeing routine trials and spectacular failures as just part of the process. But this will be the first test of the so-called Block 2 Starship upper stage.
What’s new in Starship 2 block?
The company says on his website The Starship’s electronics have undergone a “complete redesign” and there are now more than 30 cameras on board. It will also have 25 percent more thrust, be 3.1 meters taller and relocate the front flaps.
For the first time, it also includes an early version of the pins needed to be captured and reused by a ground tower. However, SpaceX currently has only one tower that will be used to capture the booster, so there will be no attempt to capture the Starship for reuse this time. A second tower is under construction.
What will the test flight entail?
SpaceX expects the upper stage to reach space, complete a partial Earth orbit, safely re-enter the atmosphere and perform a controlled discharge into the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy first stage should return to the launch site and be caught by the Mechazilla or “chewing” arms of the launch tower, ie. if the second catch is successful.
The launch marks a milestone for SpaceX, as Starship hardware will be reused for the first time. One of Starship’s Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines was previously used fifth test flight. That was the only test so far where the booster returned safely, so this is the company’s first chance to reuse anything.
Another first will be the deployment of 10 fakes in Starship Starlink the satellites These simulated satellites will be similar in size and weight to the company’s upcoming third-generation internet hardware, and will test Starship’s ability to carry payloads into orbit and safely launch them. The previous Starship flight carried no cargo, unless you count 6. the toy banana carried on the flight.
A number of other small tests will be carried out during the seventh flight to provide the engineers with valuable data. One of the Starship’s Raptor engines will be re-ignited in space, for example, and several heat-resistant tiles have been removed as a test. Several new types of heat tiles are being tested, including active cooling.
When will the launch take place?
SpaceX has not officially announced a launch date, but the company’s controversial owner Elon Musk has he stated the January 10 goal in a tweet.
According to several NOTAMs (Notices to the Airmen – warning to pilots of unusual or potentially dangerous activity) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration, the launch window given to the company starts at 16:00 Central Standard Time (10:00 PM UK time) on January 10.
The launch period will be open until January 16, and the company will need to postpone a launch due to engineering issues or bad weather.
As with all Starship launches, Flight 7 will take off from SpaceX’s site in Boca Chica, Texas and will also be streamed live online.
What happened to previous Starship launches?
Test flight 1 On April 20, 2023, three of the 33 booster stage engines failed to ignite. The rocket later went out of control and self-destructed.
The second test flight on November 18, 2023 went further, gaining enough altitude that the booster and upper stages separated as planned. The booster stage eventually exploded before reaching ground level and the upper stage self-destructed, though not before successfully reaching space.
Test flight 3 On March 14, 2024 there was at least a partial success, as the upper stage reached space once more, but did not fully return to ground level.
The next flighton June 6, the upper stage reached an altitude of over 200 kilometers and traveled at a speed of over 27,000 kilometers per hour. Both the booster and the upper stage formed gentle splashes in the ocean.
Test Flight 5 brought the Super Heavy booster back to the launch pad and landed safely in SpaceX’s launch tower, dubbed the Mechazilla, cradled by a pair of “chicks.”
Test flight 6 He saw the Starship successfully reach an altitude of 228 kilometers before splashing down in the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy aborted its attempt to land on the launch tower due to a communication error and instead made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
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