(Boca Chica) SpaceX continues to drum up tests of the largest and most powerful rocket in the world, Starship, intended for trips to the Moon and Mars, with a fourth takeoff scheduled for Thursday.
After three first tests which ended in explosions, this new flight has the stated objective of achieving a first “controlled” return of the vessel into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Liftoff is now targeted for 7:50 a.m. (8:50 a.m. Eastern) from SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica in far south Texas. The weather forecast looks very favorable.
A live video broadcast is planned on the website of billionaire Elon Musk’s company.
The rocket is made up of two stages: the Super Heavy booster stage and, above it, the Starship, which by extension gives its name to the entire rocket. This measures a total of 120 meters high.
During its last flight, less than three months ago, the spacecraft was well beyond the edge of space, but its signal was lost 49 minutes after liftoff as it descended toward Earth.
The cause was identified as the loss of control of its orientation in flight due to clogged valves, SpaceX explained, while welcoming all the data recovered during this flight.
Several vehicle “upgrades” have been added since then. The first test flight was carried out in April 2023.
According to SpaceX, carrying out these close tests of prototypes allows it to quickly identify possible problems in a real flight situation, and thus accelerate development.
This time, the main objectives will be to achieve a smooth landing of Super Heavy in the Gulf of Mexico and a “controlled entry” into the vessel’s atmosphere. If he completes his mission, he must end his journey in the Indian Ocean.
“With each test flight, SpaceX aims for increasingly ambitious objectives,” NASA underlined after the third flight. She particularly welcomed the completion of a fuel transfer test during this mission.
Liquid oxygen had been transferred from one tank to another within the rocket, SpaceX confirmed.
Developing this function is essential, because to reach the Moon, Starship will have to refuel once in space, by sticking to another vessel previously filled and serving as a space gas station.
NASA is counting on Starship in particular for its Artemis 3 mission, planned for 2026: a modified version of the vehicle must then serve as a lunar lander for its astronauts.
In addition to its disproportionate size, the great innovation of this rocket is that it must ultimately be entirely reusable.
Elon Musk wants to make it the main instrument to achieve his ultimate goal: the establishment of an autonomous colony on Mars, in order to make humanity a multiplanetary species.
In the meantime, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa was due to board a trip around the Moon (without landing) this year. But the mission, announced with great fanfare in 2018 and called “DearMoon”, was ultimately postponed to a later date.
Last week, Mr. Maezawa said that project was canceled: “There is no clear outlook for when we will be able to take off,” he wrote.
SpaceX dominates the space launch market, with no less than 14 takeoffs of its Falcon 9 rockets in May alone.
The first flight of Starship in its complete configuration took place a little over a year ago.
