Following pressure from SpaceX, Starship’s fifth launch has been moved up by a month and a half ahead of the date the Federal Aviation Administration initially scheduled.
The FAA hasn’t approved the flight license yet, but it appears imminent. Meanwhile, SpaceX is finalizing preparations to launch a new Starship on Sunday, Oct. 13. I’ve already cleared my schedule for the weekend, and so should you–this launch promises to be thrilling.
An Unusual Maneuver
Starship’s flight 4 took place in early June and was the most successful one so far. The spacecraft took off smoothly, separated from its booster, and landed in the intended area of the Indian Ocean, albeit somewhat scorched but still manageable.
Simultaneously, the Super Heavy booster completed its return maneuver and simulated a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico, marking a resounding success. As a result, SpaceX has incredibly ambitious plans for its successor.
Assuming no delays and that the flight license arrives on time, Starship’s flight 5 will take off at 7:00 a.m. local time at Starbase, near Brownsville in Texas. SpaceX will place Booster 12 and Ship 30 on the launch pad. Ship 30 carries a more sophisticated and stronger heat shield than Ship 29 from the previous flight.
The Super Heavy booster is the rocket stage responsible for takeoff and most of the ascent phase. It’s 233 feet tall and equipped with 33 Raptor 2 engines. During the fifth test, SpaceX plans to advance the company’s rapid reuse plans for Starship by bringing Booster 12 back to its original liftoff location.
The objective is for the rocket to maneuver its mobile engines to position itself next to the 469-foot-tall launch tower known as Mechazilla. The tower will try to catch the booster in flight using two large mechanical arms to place it on the launch pad.
SpaceX aims to repeat this process regularly in the future, launching the Super Heavy multiple times a day and sending Starship spacecraft into orbit with no time to waste. There are a number of ways the company could utilize this system, ranging from expanding the Starlink satellite constellation to advancing SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s goal of colonizing Mars.
Thousands of Constraints
SpaceX is committed to minimizing the risk of the Super Heavy’s catastrophic impact or explosion at its ground facility, the Mechazilla tower, and the launch pad.
After the booster separates from the spacecraft, which will continue on its way to another simulated landing in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, SpaceX will decide whether to proceed with or cancel the Booster 12 capture maneuver.
SpaceX engineers have spent months simulating the attempt to capture the rocket and conducting ground tests. Still, the test can only proceed if thousands of criteria are met on the vehicle and pad.
This process will be semi-automatic. If the status checks reveal any unacceptable conditions, the booster will repeat the trajectory of flight 4, ending with an ignition and a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
However, if the rocket and tower are in good shape, the flight director will manually send a command to return Booster 12 to the launch pad. This will be the first attempt to capture the booster.
The first launches of Starship, the world’s tallest rocket, have already been exciting. I’ll be anxiously waiting to see SpaceX’s attempt to capture the rocket with the arms of the launch tower. If you want to see how it unfolds, you can watch Starship’s fifth flight live on the company’s X account on Sunday.
Image | SpaceX
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