SpaceX's Starship is gearing up for its fourth test flight, scheduled to launch on Thursday, June 6, from the Orbital Launch Pad at Starbase in Boca Chica, South Texas, the same location used for the previous three missions. The two-hour launch window opens at 7 a.m. central time. For this mission, Booster 11 and Ship 29 are paired together, aiming to build on the progress made in previous test flights. The primary objectives include a precise soft water landing for the Booster and collecting additional re-entry data for the Ship.
Credit SpaceX
Mission objectives
Building on the last flight's reentry achievements, this mission aims to further test the Thermal Protection System (TPS) on Ship 29 by progressing deeper into the reentry phase. Meanwhile, Booster 11 seeks to overcome the blockage issues that led to early engine shutdowns during its previous return to the Gulf of Mexico, targeting a soft touchdown in the Gulf to simulate a potential booster catch on a software-demonstrated launch tower. This successful simulation could pave the way for an attempt to catch Booster 12 on Flight 5. Notably, the Hot Staging Ring, which enables thrust escape during the hot staging maneuver, will be jettisoned to reduce the booster's center of mass and enhance success chances. Additionally, the mission may employ the belly flop and flip maneuver, where Ship 29 reignites its Raptor engines after reentry, changes orientation, and performs a soft water splashdown. Unlike the previous flight, this mission will not include propellant transfer and payload door tests, focusing instead on vehicle recovery. While SpaceX initially planned to demonstrate a deorbiting landing burn, the trajectory will now direct Ship 29 to the Indian Ocean.
Credit Elon Musk/SpaceX
Booster 11
Booster 11, the latest iteration of SpaceX's powerful rocket, boasts 33 Raptor engines, which underwent a successful static fire test on April 5. Building on the advancements of its predecessor, Booster 11 features updates to ensure a seamless return to the designated landing zone, including redundancy enhancements to prevent blockages in the internal filter system that supplies liquid oxygen and methane to the engines. Standing 71 meters tall, with a primary diameter of nine meters, the booster has a propellant capacity of 3,400 tons, although it may not be fully loaded for this mission. All 33 Raptor engines ignite simultaneously at liftoff, generating an impressive 7,590 tons of force. The booster features four stainless steel grid fins, permanently deployed at the top, which guide the vehicle during the later stages of landing. Unlike Falcon 9, these grid fins are not retractable. The methane tank sits atop the oxygen tank, connected to the Raptor engines via a large transfer tube. A separate tank at the bottom of the LOX tank stores propellant for landing. A massive manifold at the booster's base supplies the Raptor engines, and a slosh baffle, likely adapted from Falcon 9, has been integrated to prevent propellant sloshing issues observed in previous flights. The outer ring of 20 Raptor engines is ground-started, while the inner 13 engines can self-ignite, enabling the vehicle to perform boostback and landing maneuvers.
Ship 29
Ship 29, similar to its predecessor Ship 28, belongs to the same build version with minor modifications. Equipped with six Raptor engines, it features a unique configuration of three sea-level engines surrounded by three vacuum engines, providing optimal efficiency and thrust for mission execution and landing maneuvers. Following a successful spin prime test on March 11, Ship 29 underwent two static fires on March 25 and 27, demonstrating all six engines' capabilities and deorbiting with a single engine, respectively. Standing 50 meters tall with a nine-meter core diameter (excluding flaps), the Ship is designed for reentry steering and terminal velocity reduction through its forward and aft flaps. With a propellant capacity of 1,200 tons and a potential thrust of up to 1,500 tons, Ship 29 is expected to eventually carry over 100 tons of payload into low-Earth orbit, a feat beyond the capabilities of current prototypes.
Learning from the past
Flight 1:
The first flight of Starship occurred on April 20, 2023, and marked a significant milestone in the development of SpaceX's ambitious launch vehicle. Although the Starship vehicle was destroyed just four minutes after takeoff, the launch was still considered a success because it provided valuable data for future development.
The vehicle reached a maximum altitude of 24 miles (39 kilometres) before it was destroyed, demonstrating the incredible power of the Starship launch system. In fact, the launch made Starship the most powerful rocket ever flown, surpassing the Soviet Union's N1 rocket.
Due to this immense power, the launch mount suffered significant damage after the first test flight of Starship on April 20, 2023. The intense forces generated by the launch created a crater under the mount, scattered debris for hundreds of yards, and damaged the concrete under the launch pad.
Additionally, the blast damaged nearby infrastructure, including dented inert storage tanks. However, the launch tower escaped significant damage, despite large chunks of concrete being hurled towards it.
The extent of the damage was attributed to the powerful rocket exhaust and the absence of safety features on the launch pad, such as flame diverters, water deluge systems, or sound suppression systems. This incident highlighted the need for additional safety measures to be implemented for future launches.
Despite the destruction of the vehicle, SpaceX viewed the flight as a crucial step in their iterative and incremental approach to developing the Starship launch vehicle.
Flight 2:
The second test flight of Starship took place on November 18, 2023, and marked a significant milestone in the development of SpaceX's ambitious launch vehicle. The vehicle successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster, making it through stage separation without incident.
However, the booster's planned landing on the Gulf of Mexico ended in failure, exploding during its boostback burn. Despite this setback, the Starship second stage continued to accelerate for over eight minutes, reaching an altitude of 149 kilometres (93 miles).
Towards the end of the second stage burn, the Starship vented excess liquid oxygen, resulting in a fire and the loss of the vehicle. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that an anomaly had occurred, but fortunately, there were no reports of public property damage or injuries.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considered the launch a failure and used this as a rationale for rejecting SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet project as eligible for large US rural broadband internet subsidies. Despite this, SpaceX remained optimistic, stating on their website that "success comes from what we learn" from a "test like this". The company continued to analyze data from the flight to inform future development and improvement of the Starship launch vehicle.
Flight 3:
SpaceX's Starship megarocket achieved a significant milestone on March 14, 2024, successfully reaching orbital speed for the first time. The vehicle lifted off from the company's manufacturing and test launch facilities near Boca Chica Beach in south Texas, surrounded by hundreds of excited onlookers.
As the biggest rocket ever built, Starship's third test flight was highly anticipated. While the vehicle successfully reached space, neither the Starship nor its Super Heavy booster survived the entire flight, failing to make it through to their intended splashdown.
Despite this, SpaceX officials reported that the test flight achieved several of its key goals during the flight. The Starship upper stage continued flying after separation, although it did not attempt to enter a full orbit. Unfortunately, contact was lost with the Starship vehicle during re-entry, and it likely broke up, marking a partial success for the mission. The test flight marked an important step forward in the development of Starship.
Launch Licence Granted
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX approval for the fourth test flight of the Starship vehicle, paving the way for the launch to take place on June 6 from the company's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. The 400-foot-tall Starship rocket, paired with the Heavy booster, successfully met all safety and licensing criteria, according to FAA officials. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that the launch would be live-streamed exclusively on X, generating excitement among fans and enthusiasts. The fourth flight test aims to demonstrate a crucial milestone: the ability to return and reuse Starship and Super Heavy by achieving orbit, as outlined in the company's blog post. With this approval, SpaceX is one step closer to realizing its ambitious goals for the Starship program.
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