SpaceX prepares for Starship's third flight: What tests are pending?
SpaceX is preparing for the third test flight of its Starship rocket. Starship, which comprises the Super Heavy booster and an upper stage also called Starship, is currently the world's most powerful rocket. In the latest development, the booster and upper stage, which will fly on the upcoming test, have been moved to SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas. Starship could soon fly again, provided SpaceX gets the required launch license from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Starship is also the world's tallest rocket
Along with being the most powerful rocket, Starship is also the biggest one ever constructed, measuring 394-feet tall. The rocket is equipped with 33 Raptor engines that can produce a whopping 17 million pounds of thrust, almost double that of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). The SLS flew on the Artemis 1 Moon mission in late 2022. Both Starship's booster and the upper stage are reusable, meaning they will be returned to Earth and flown on future missions.
Starship's previous test flights ended in an explosion
So far, Starship has flown twice, on April 20 and November 18. Both tests aimed to send the upper-stage spacecraft around Earth, ending with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The April flight ended after four minutes after launch due to issues including failure of its stage separation, resulting in a controlled detonation. The second test flight was more successful, but both Super Heavy and Starship exploded during their return.
Technical readiness and FAA investigation
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the third Starship vehicle should be ready to fly by year's end. However, technical readiness isn't the only factor. The FAA, the agency that authorizes launch licenses, is investigating the November 18 flight mishap. SpaceX will get a launch license for the third test flight only after the investigation concludes and the corrective actions, required by the FAA, are implemented.
Quick turnaround for third test flight
SpaceX's third Starship test flight shouldn't face delays as the second test did, thanks to a functional and compliant water deluge system protecting the launch pad. During Starship's first flight, the launch pad was destroyed due to the thrust generated by the engines. SpaceX then had to construct a water deluge system, which Musk described as a "gigantic upside-down shower head." This was then evaluated by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to ensure it didn't violate environmental conditions.
Upcoming tests before launch
Ahead of the third test flight, SpaceX has already started testing the rocket. A successful spin prime test was conducted on the second stage Starship, ensuring that pumps can inject fuel and oxidizer into the engines during later tests and at launch. Other evaluations cover the electrical systems, fuel tanks, and engines. The next stage after the spin prime test is a static fire, which ignites the engines. If successful, the rocket will be cleared for launch.
Starship has been roped in for NASA's Artemis 3
Elon Musk envisions that Starship will one day transport humans to Mars. In the short term, NASA is banking on the rocket for the Artemis 3 crewed mission to the Moon, scheduled for 2025. Artemis 3 will mark the first crewed lunar landing in over 50 years. SpaceX will provide a variant of Starship, called the Human Landing System (HLS), to ferry astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon's surface for the mission.
