Visitors look at the SpaceX Starship as it sits on a launch pad at Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on October 12, 2024, ahead of the Starship Flight 5 test. (Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has announced that the latest test of its Starship megarocket is being targeted for Tuesday, May 19.
Per a post on X, it will be Starship’s twelfth flight test, but the first for both Starship — the upper-stage designed for cargo and crew — and the all-important first-stage booster called Super Heavy. The latter will use the next evolution of the Raptor engine, of which 33 are used to launch the vehicle.
Starship and Super Heavy will launch from a newly designed pad at Starbase, SpaceX’s private rocket launch facility close to the U.S.-Mexico border near Boca Chica Beach in southern Texas.
The launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. EDT (local time 5:30 p.m. CDT) on Tuesday, May 19. That doesn’t mean the launch will happen at that exact time — if previous test flights are anything to go by, expect delays.
The launch will be streamed live on SpaceX.com, YouTube and X (Twitter) from about 30 minutes before the launch. “As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change,” reads a statement from SpaceX.
The entire test flight is set to take 65 minutes.
Visitors look at the SpaceX Starship as it sits on a launch pad at Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on October 12, 2024, ahead of the Starship Flight 5 test. (Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
The upcoming mission will introduce a next-generation version of both the Starship upper stage and the Super Heavy booster, featuring extensive upgrades designed to improve performance, reliability and rapid reusability. However, unlike some previous missions, there will be no attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster as it returns to the launch pad using giant “chopsticks.” Instead, SpaceX plans for the booster to conduct a controlled landing in the Gulf of America after completing its ascent and boostback.
Once airborne, the Starship upper stage will deploy 22 dummy Starlink satellites that roughly match the size and shape of next-generation Starlink satellites. Two of those satellites will scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery back to mission operators. Several thermal protection tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate damaged or missing sections and create visual targets for imaging systems.
The mission will also intentionally push Starship through several high-risk reentry experiments. Engineers have deliberately removed a single heat shield tile to study aerodynamic stress on surrounding tiles during atmospheric descent. There will also be a few aggressive flight maneuvers to test the structural limits of its rear flaps.
A two-part launch vehicle, Starship is designed to carry 100 tons to Mars or transport up to 100 people on long-duration interplanetary flights, according to SpaceX. The vehicle could also be used for point-to-point flights, reducing times for most international trips to 30 minutes.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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