Top line
SpaceX will launch Starship for a seventh test flight on Thursday, after weather problems pushed back an experiment that will feature the spacecraft’s first payload deployment test, in what could be the latest milestone for the owned aerospace company Elon Musk as she develops reusable rockets.
SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket is shrouded in fog and clouds as it prepares for a test flight … (+)
Key facts
SpaceX plans to launch Starship from Boca Chica, Texas, around 5 p.m. EST, with a live stream beginning around 4:15 p.m. on SpaceX’s X account and website.
The seven-day forecast from the nearest National Weather Service station indicated it was 55 degrees with fog and mist around the previously scheduled launch time Wednesday, and the forecast for Thursday indicated it will be cloudy mid-morning before clearing in the afternoon. .
Starship’s flight is expected to last just over 66 minutes, according to SpaceX, and will feature several experiments for the spacecraft, including Starship’s first payload deployment test (a set of 10 replica Starlink satellites) and tests of upgrading the spacecraft’s flight computer and avionics. and a heat shield.
Starship’s Super Heavy booster will reuse one of its 33 engines for the first time, and SpaceX will attempt to catch the booster with two mechanical arms – similar to a successful catch during Starship’s fifth launch test – if conditions are optimal.
During Starship’s sixth launch test in November, the spacecraft crashed into the Indian Ocean, but an attempt to capture its Super Heavy booster was ignored.
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What if Starship doesn’t start?
The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized SpaceX to launch Starship between January 9 and 17, suggesting the company may have until Friday. SpaceX officials reportedly said that refueling the spacecraft could take several days, which could further delay Starship’s seventh launch.
To watch
SpaceX has requested FAA approval to increase the maximum number of annual Starship launches from five to 25. The FAA is expected to rule on the proposal after the public comment period ends on January 17.
Key context
SpaceX has launched Starship six times since the spacecraft’s first flight in April 2023. SpaceX has been testing Starship to make the spacecraft fully reusable, allowing the ship to carry both cargo and people into space. Starship is considered the largest and most powerful rocket ever developed and measures nearly 400 feet. The first test lasted only four minutes, and a second test flight in November 2023 lasted eight minutes due to a “rapid and unplanned disassembly.” The spacecraft successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere on its fourth test launch in June 2024, during which SpaceX remained in contact with Starship throughout its flight and the spacecraft completed its first landing approximately one hour after launch.
Tangent
Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket into orbit for the first time on Thursday, although the company failed to recover the rocket’s reusable booster stage. Bezos’ Blue Origin and Musk’s SpaceX have competed in recent years for government contracts and funding to develop a lunar lander for Artemis V, a NASA mission that will return astronauts to the Moon in 2029. NASA has said that she intended to have the two companies develop cargo versions of NASA’s crewed human landing systems.
Forbes Rating
Musk has a fortune valued at $424.2 billion, making him the richest person in the world, according to our latest estimates. Bezos is the second richest in the world, with an estimated net worth of $236.8 billion.
Further reading
