SpaceX has revealed intentions to fly its next Starship test after the fifth test flight went well recently. On November 18, SpaceX's flagship rocket, which is over 400 feet long, will make its sixth test flight. Interested viewers may watch the company's live webcast on social media platform X about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.
The last test of Starship's Block 1 model will be the flying test.
SpaceX is set to conduct its sixth test flight of Starship, following a suborbital trajectory and completing a controlled splashdown of its upper stage in the Indian Ocean.
The core flight plan is similar to the previous one, with new objectives to further develop Starship's systems. The test flight will also include a re-ignition attempt of a Raptor vacuum engine, a move SpaceX had previously attempted but had to abort.
This success will enable SpaceX to conduct deorbit burns, a crucial requirement for future orbital missions.
SpaceX's Starship has successfully completed its fifth flight test, marking a significant milestone towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system.
The Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the launch site, demonstrating improvements in the upper stage, resulting in a controlled entry and high accuracy splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The next Starship flight test aims to expand ship and booster capabilities, bringing the entire system closer to reuse.
Objectives include the booster returning to the launch site, reigniting a ship Raptor engine in space, and testing heatshield experiments and maneuvering changes for reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean.
Flight 6 of Starship will focus on assessing its thermal protection systems, which are crucial for safe re-entry. New secondary thermal protection materials will be used, and heat shield tiles will be tested for managing extreme temperatures during descent.
Some tiles will be removed for data-gathering purposes. Aerodynamic control will also be tested. SpaceX will also enhance booster recovery following the successful catch of the Super Heavy booster on Flight 5.
The catch nearly failed due to a misconfiguration in the booster's spin gas system, and SpaceX will add additional redundancies to the booster's propulsion system.
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