The third Starship test flight is expected to take place in February 2024. This follows the company’s commitment to demonstrate key technologies crucial for future lunar missions. SpaceX’s Vice President has indicated that hardware readiness for the test flight is targeted for January, with the actual flight scheduled for February.
In preparation for this third flight, SpaceX has completed static fires of both the booster and the ship, a crucial step towards ensuring readiness for launch. These tests have been successful, with the second mimicking an actual flight startup sequence. However, the company is still addressing corrective actions identified from the second Starship test flight, which took place on November 18, 2023. This flight aimed to achieve a near-orbital trajectory, re-enter the atmosphere, and make a splashdown near Hawaii. The launch saw the successful ignition of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster, and the Starship achieved stage separation as planned. However, the mission faced issues post-separation. The Super Heavy booster experienced multiple engine failures during its boostback burn and subsequently exploded. The Starship upper stage continued to fly for over eight minutes, reaching an altitude of 149 km before being destroyed by its flight termination system. This outcome led to an FAA investigation and required SpaceX to implement corrective actions for future flights.
An important aspect of the upcoming test flight is a demonstration of propellant transfer capabilities, a critical technology for the version of Starship that will be used for NASA’s Human Landing System program, starting with the Artemis 3 mission. SpaceX plans to create a propellant depot in low Earth orbit, which will be filled by a series of Starship tanker launches, to fuel the lunar lander Starship for its moon mission. The number of these tanker launches required has been a subject of discussion, with estimates varying but expected to be around ten, depending on the outcomes of initial flight tests. The vice president estimates approximately 10 Starship launches might be needed to fully fuel an on-orbit tanker. This number could vary based on the performance and outcomes of the initial test flights. Looking ahead, SpaceX anticipates that Starship could land on the Moon as early as 2025, aligning with NASA’s revised schedule for the Artemis 2 mission.
Keywords:-
SpaceX starship plan, Starship next launch, SpaceX and NASA, SpaceX starship launch, SpaceX vs NASA, starship booster explosion, Why did the Starship explode, Why did the Starship blow up, starship launch, Spacex Starship launch,Spacex super heavy launch,spacex super heavyrocket,SpaceX and Musk, musk leaves spacex, FAA vs SpaceX over starship
