SpaceX readying for fourth Starship flight, Musk reveals flight objective
SpaceX is gearing up for the fourth test flight of the ambitious Starship Super Heavy after the third flight came close to completing an hourlong flight before it was lost.
The team at Starbase conducted the Static fire of a single Raptor engine on Starship ahead of the fourth flight.
"Getting ready for Flight 4 of Starship! The goal of this mission is for Starship to get through max reentry heating with all systems functioning," SpaceX founder Elon Musk said.
The launch was partially successful during the third flight. The Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage separated cleanly after a "hot staging" manoeuvre, a technique where the Starship's engines ignite while still attached to the booster, ensuring a more efficient separation.
The booster aimed for a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship targeted the Indian Ocean.
The company said it lost contact with Starship as it neared its goal, a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The first-stage booster also ended up in pieces, breaking apart much earlier in the flight over the Gulf of Mexico after launching from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.
Two test flights last year both ended in explosions minutes after liftoff. By surviving for close to 50 minutes this time, the test was considered a win by not only SpaceX’s Elon Musk, but Nasa as well as Starship soared higher and farther than ever before. The space agency is counting on Starship to land its astronauts on the moon in another few years.
During the third flight, Starship Super Heavy featured several upgrades to the booster and ship, as well as a modification of the flight path that was changed to the Indian Ocean, instead of Hawaii.
The Starship Super Heavy, standing at an impressive 400 feet, is not only the most powerful rocket ever constructed, but also represents a leap forward in reusable space vehicles. Its successful deployment is crucial for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, with NASA already planning to utilise Starship for its Artemis 3 lunar mission.
