SpaceX has shared new insights from the fifth Starship test flight, as the company prepares for the sixth launch of the massive rocket. In a post on the SpaceX website, the company also announced the next launch could happen as early as Monday, November 18.
Highlights from Fifth Test Flight
The fifth Starship flight marked a significant milestone for SpaceX. The most notable moment was the Super Heavy booster’s first successful return and “catch” by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower, affectionately known as Mechazilla, at Starbase. This engineering accomplishment demonstrated the potential of SpaceX’s reusability vision, something that would drastically reduce costs and turnaround time for future missions.
The upper stage of Starship also achieved milestones, successfully managing a controlled entry and hitting its splashdown target with impressive accuracy in the Indian Ocean.
This is how accurate @SpaceX is.
— Drive Tesla (@DriveTeslaca) October 18, 2024
They put an unmanned buoy with a camera in the middle of the Indian Ocean where they targeted splashdown.
It ended up coming down within a few feet of the buoy pic.twitter.com/QnLVVuashz https://t.co/vtAXvnr5AL
Objectives for the Sixth Test Flight
With the successes of the fifth test flight, SpaceX is not resting on its laurels and will continue to push the boundaries during the sixth test flight, which it announced today could happen as early as November 18, 2024.
According to SpaceX, they will introduce a series of new in-space and reentry experiments that will further improve the booster’s return and catch process. For this flight, one of the primary goals is to reignite a Raptor engine on the upper stage while in space. SpaceX says this in-space burn will be crucial for future deorbit and landing maneuvers, marking another major step toward achieving full orbital capability.
Additionally, the flight will test various thermal protection elements and maneuvers that stress Starship’s heat shielding and aerodynamic controls, including a higher angle of attack during descent.
Upgrades for Starship
Even though the fifth test flight was considered a success, there were still some challenges. To address these, SpaceX is incorporating several hardware and software upgrades. The booster will feature added redundancy in its propulsion systems, as well as structural reinforcements designed to withstand the intense pressures of reentry and landing.
A critical aspect of this flight will be the test of new heat shield materials and configurations. The sixth test will intentionally leave sections of the heat shield uncovered to evaluate areas potentially suited for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. These modifications, paired with the latest software updates, are expected to improve Starship’s resilience and reliability in subsequent flights.
Future Starship vehicles, including those earmarked for the seventh test, will introduce even more upgrades. These include redesigned forward flaps, expanded propellant tanks, and the latest generation of heat shield tiles.
