Starship, manufactured by Spacex, is expected to carry out its most ambitious test this Thursday (6). After three experimental launches, the space company led by Elon Musk wants to recover for the first time the Starship capsule (spacecraft) and the Super Heavy booster, which powers the space transport system, for reuse in future tests and trips.
A suitable period for testing (launch window) begins at 9 am (Brasília time) this Thursday and should last for around 2 hours. Spacex said on its social media that the launch could happen around 9:50 am.
The test flight can be followed live on the company’s profile on X (formerly Twitter). See below.
Watch Starship’s fourth flight test → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK https://t.co/SjpjscHoUB
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 6, 2024
Starship’s third test, carried out on March 14 of this year, represented some milestones for the project, including the first atmospheric re-entry of the set (return to Earth), the first opening of the payload door in space and a demonstration of propellant transfer (fuel). “The latest test provided valuable data for eventual transfers of propellant between spacecraft, which will enable missions such as the return of astronauts to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program [agência espacial dos Estados Unidos]”, says a note from Spacex.
The Artemis program plans to return humanity to the Moon in 2025.
In this fourth test, the flight trajectory should be similar to previous experiments, with the controlled fall of the capsule expected to take place over the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster is expected to make a gentle splashdown over the Gulf of Mexico.
What is Starship?
The Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy propellant (set known as Starship) are a reusable space transportation system — which could make future trips to the Moon and even other planets cheaper. The set can transport people and equipment. To date, it is the largest and most powerful space vehicle ever built by humanity.
The set is 121 meters high and 9 meters in diameter. Cargo and passenger capacity is 100 tons to 150 tons.
Other Starship flights have had problems
The second Starship flight carried out by SpaceX took place in November 2023, but a failure caused engineers to lose contact with the ship in space.
Starship left Elon Musk’s company base, also in Boca Chica, Texas, at around 10 am (Brasília time). The flight was initially successful, as the rocket managed to reach space for the first time. However, about 10 minutes after launch, the SpaceX team on the ground stopped receiving data from the ship’s second stage.
Engineers believe the module was lost in space. The first test, in April of the same year, also had problems, ending in an explosion.
(With information from Flávio Ismerim, from CNN)
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
