SpaceX is aiming to launch its third Starship in the second week of March, according to Elon Musk. Musk said on X that the team is working to execute its third launch before March 8, but he guesses the launch will happen during the first half of next month. Musk added that the fourth test flight will be ready shortly after.
Additionally, Musk added the probability of the rocket reaching orbit is almost 80%.
This would align with Musk’s previous comments when he said that SpaceX would launch another Starship in “about three weeks.” The Starship and Super Heavy booster were moved to the launch pad at Starbase earlier this month.
The third flight test will also mark the first time that Starship and Super Heavy will fly together as a fully stacked vehicle, standing about 400 feet (122 meters) tall. The Super Heavy booster will have 33 Raptor engines, while the Starship upper stage will have six. The combined thrust of these engines will be about 72 meganewtons (7,590 tonnes/16 million lbs), making Starship the most powerful rocket ever to fly. However, future versions of Starship will be even larger, according to Musk. He has said that Starship "will be at least 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet) longer by version 3.
SpaceX, the private space company founded by visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk, is on a mission to revolutionize space exploration and colonization. One of the key components of this ambitious vision is Starship, a reusable rocket and spacecraft system that is designed to take people and cargo to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
Starship is a massive vehicle that consists of two elements: a first stage called Super Heavy and a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship.
Both are powered by SpaceX's next-generation Raptor engines, which use liquid oxygen and methane as propellants. Both are also designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, meaning they can land back on Earth after each mission and be refurbished for another launch.
Starship's capabilities are unprecedented in the history of spaceflight. It can carry up to 100 metric tons (220,000 lbs) of payload to low Earth orbit, or up to 20 metric tons (44,000 lbs) to the surface of Mars. It can also accommodate up to 100 passengers in a spacious cabin that features windows, entertainment systems, and private cabins. Starship can also perform on-orbit refueling, docking, and rendezvous with other spacecraft, enabling complex missions that require multiple launches and transfers.
Starship's ultimate goal is to enable the colonization of Mars, which Musk believes is essential for the survival and advancement of humanity. Musk has said that he wants to establish a self-sustaining city on the red planet by the end of the century, with a population of at least one million people. To achieve this, he plans to launch thousands of Starships over the next decades, carrying people, cargo, and infrastructure to Mars.
Photos credit SpaceX
But before Starship can reach Mars, it has to overcome many technical and regulatory challenges. SpaceX has been testing and developing Starship at its Starbase site in South Texas, where it has built a launch pad with tower and ground support systems, a high bay, and several prototypes of Starship and Super Heavy. The company has also been working closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to obtain the necessary licenses and approvals for its test flights and orbital launches.
So far, Starship has conducted two test flights, which occurred in April and November of 2023. Both flights were suborbital, meaning they did not reach the altitude and speed required to orbit the Earth. Both flights also ended up in explosions, due to various issues with the engines, the aerodynamics, and the landing systems. Starship flight 2 was the second orbital test flight of SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy rocket, which launched from Starbase in Texas on Nov. 18, 2023. The flight ended with explosions of both stages, which were caused by various issues with the engines, the aerodynamics, and the landing systems. The FAA and SpaceX conducted a mishap investigation, which identified 17 corrective actions that SpaceX must implement before the next flight. These include vehicle hardware redesigns, updated engine control algorithms, operational changes, flammability analysis updates, installation of additional fire protection, and guidance. SpaceX conducted separate mishap reports for the booster and the ship, with the reports completed on February 5th and February 16th respectively.
The third flight test will also be the first time that Starship will attempt to reach orbit, which requires a speed of about 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h). To achieve this, the Super Heavy booster will launch Starship to an altitude of about 40 miles (65 km) and then separate from it. The booster will then flip around and perform a controlled descent and landing back on Earth, using its grid fins and thrusters. The Starship upper stage will continue to ascend to orbit, using its own raptor engines. It will then perform a deorbit burn and re-enter the atmosphere, using its heat shield to withstand the extreme temperatures. SpaceX has no plan to recover these vehicles. This is why both, booster as well as Starship will end up in the ocean, away from any population for safety reasons.
Starship IFT-2, photo credit SpaceX
If successful, the third flight test will be a historic achievement for SpaceX and a major milestone for Starship. It will demonstrate Starship's ability to perform a full orbital launch and re-entry, as well as its reusability and reliability. It will also pave the way for more ambitious missions, such as sending Starship to the moon, where it has been selected by NASA as the crewed lander for the Artemis 3 mission, which aims to land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface by 2024.
SpaceX is also planning to send Starship to Mars, where it hopes to land the first humans by the mid-2020s. To do this, Starship will need to be refueled in orbit by other Starships, which will require multiple launches and transfers. Jensen said that it will require "roughly 10ish" flights to fuel up the Starship that will go to Mars, although that number could change based on how tests of the propellant transfer capability pan out.
SpaceX's Starship is a bold and visionary project that aims to transform humanity into a multiplanetary species. It is also a challenging and risky endeavor that faces many uncertainties and obstacles. But SpaceX has proven its ability to overcome difficulties and achieve breakthroughs in the past, such as landing and reusing its Falcon 9 rockets, launching and docking its Crew Dragon capsules to the International Space Station, and deploying its Starlink satellite constellation. With Starship, SpaceX hopes to take the next giant leap for space exploration and colonization.
Ship28/B10, Photo credit SpaceX
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