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SpaceX will conduct the sixth flight test of Starship, the largest rocket ever built, on November 18 after the smooth success of the previous mission less than a month ago.
The high flight tempo was credited, in part, with this success, which included the first-ever return of a Super Heavy booster to the launch site — where it was struck by the massive “chopstick” arms protruding from the launch tower in midair — and a controlled landing on the target after Suborbital flight of the spacecraft’s upper stage in the Indian Ocean. This sixth test includes many of the same objectives; This fact prompted the FAA to approve Flights 5 and 6 at the same time last month. Up until this point, SpaceX has had to wait (sometimes months) for regulatory approval before every Starship launch.
In a Posted on their websiteSpaceX says it will attempt to recreate those same successes on November 18, including picking up the booster at the launch site and precision landing of the Starship. The company will also continue to test the heat shield and upper stage re-entry maneuvers, “to extend the ship’s range and boost capabilities and move closer to bringing the entire system back online.” The engineer also introduced a number of upgrades to the system, including more redundancy in the boosters and propulsion system, updated software controls, and other changes.
SpaceX will also attempt to restart one of the ship’s six Raptor engines in orbit, a key capability for reusing the Starship’s upper stage as well. Engineers will test this phase in other ways as well: the company will test new secondary thermal protection materials. Additionally, the company said, “the ship will also intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of the descent, intentionally emphasizing the limits of flap control to obtain data on future landing profiles.”
All of these tests will culminate in “major upgrades” to the ship, starting with Voyage 7, such as redesigned flaps, larger fuel tanks, and state-of-the-art thermal protection.
A live webcast of the test will begin approximately 30 minutes before the 30-minute launch window at 2 PM PT, which will be viewable on the X or SpaceX website. SpaceX said the late afternoon launch window (which opens at 4 p.m. local Texas time) will allow for better viewing conditions upon reentry.
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