Starship: When will SpaceX’s next “Chopsticks” test flight take place?

SpaceX has been preparing Starship since August for its fifth test flight, which the company claims could launch as soon as this weekend.

What is a starship?

Starship is the most powerful rocket capable of flying. SpaceX aims to develop it into a quickly reusable vehicle that can carry large payloads into orbit, land on Earth, and launch another mission within hours. The company takes a “fail-fast” approach to research and development more commonly seen in Silicon Valley than in the conservative world of space exploration.

What will the next test flight include?

The fifth test flight will likely be the first attempt to drop Starship’s super heavy booster (the rocket’s first stage) onto the launch pad. SpaceX’s launch tower, called Mechazilla, is equipped with a pair of “chopsticks” that can grab and hold the booster in a specific position and lower it to the ground.

When will the launch take place?

SpaceX said on its website that the flight could take place as early as October 13, pending regulatory approval.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a warning to mariners on the 12th that a rocket launch was underway near Boca Chica, Texas, between 7 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST). , appears to have given official weight to this claim. October.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which must approve each launch before it launches, previously said Starship would not fly until November. a spokesperson said. san antonio express news Nothing has changed on October 3rd. “We are not issuing a launch permit for a launch within the next two weeks. In fact, no launch has taken place. Late November is still the target date,” they said.

However, the FAA also warned pilots that rocket launches could occur in the Boca Chica area between October 13 and 19. Neither the U.S. Coast Guard nor the FAA responded. new scientist Ask for explanation.

One possibility is that SpaceX is announcing the launch date to pressure the FAA for approval. The other is that it is considering launching without approval, something it has done in the past, including sending an early Starship prototype to high-altitude testing without permission in 2020. new scientist We contacted them for more information, but received no response.

Why does it take so long for the FAA to approve test flights?

This is a question SpaceX has been asking for some time. In a lengthy blog post published in September, the company complained that Starship for Test Flight 5 had been ready since last month and was awaiting launch.

“Unfortunately, instead of focusing resources on critical safety analysis and cooperating with reasonable safeguards to protect both the public and the environment, we are faced with a variety of “The approval process has been derailed multiple times due to unforeseen issues,” the post said.

But the FAA won’t work on the timescale SpaceX is requesting. The company requires SpaceX to conduct an investigation after each launch, suggest remedies for failure and adhere to strict licensing requirements before any subsequent attempts. Essentially, this tension stems from the friction of fast-paced, startup-like businesses with conservative, risk-averse government agencies.

The FAA previously said SpaceX did not properly conduct an analysis of the effects of the sonic boom caused by the launch. Polluting the environment with a water flooding system designed to counter the Starship’s powerful rocket exhaust. And we couldn’t get all the proper permits. In response, SpaceX founder Elon Musk threatened to sue the FAA.

What happened on previous Starship launches?

During the first test flight on April 20, 2023, three of the first stage’s 33 engines failed to ignite. Several more planes subsequently failed in flight. The rocket then went out of control and activated its self-destruct function.

Test flight No. 2 on November 18, 2023, further increased the altitude, achieving a height high enough for the first and second stages to separate as planned. However, as the first stage decelerated and rotated to begin the landing procedure, it exploded. The second stage progressed smoothly to an altitude of about 149 kilometers (149 kilometers), passing through the Kármán line, considered the beginning of the universe. However, before orbiting or returning to Earth, it stopped transmitting data and was destroyed by a failsafe function.

Test Flight 3 on March 14, 2024 was at least partially successful, as it reached space, conducted fuel transfer tests, and flew farther and faster than ever before. However, the aircraft lost attitude control during flight and failed to make a planned soft landing.

Test Flight 4 on June 6 of this year was the most successful to date, with Starship reaching orbit at an altitude of more than 200 kilometers and flying at speeds of more than 27,000 kilometers per hour. Both the booster and upper stage completed a soft landing at sea. As the Starship re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, there was a dramatic scene in which the sheer heat of one of its control fins burned off due to extreme temperatures, but the company says it has fixed this problem with a new heat-resistant tile design. There is.