SpaceX Starship's Next Flight: Can Changes Bring Success?
SpaceX is about to give its Starship another go, aiming for a launch on Sunday, August 24th, with the launch window opening at 7:30 p.m. ET. After a series of less-than-perfect attempts, they're really hoping this flight will be the one where things finally click. It's been a bumpy ride, to say the least, with previous flights ending in, well, spectacular failures.
Following the last test flight on May 27th, which ended with the rocket disintegrating upon reentry, SpaceX has been hard at work figuring out what went wrong. It was the third flight this year, and unfortunately, it followed a pattern of previous unsuccessful attempts. So, what's different this time around? SpaceX claims they've made some serious hardware and operational tweaks to boost reliability.
You can catch the whole thing live on SpaceX's website or their X account.
What's the Plan for This Flight?
This time, they're sticking to similar goals as before, hoping to finally nail them. For the fourth time, they'll try a payload deployment test, releasing 10 Starlink simulators – basically, dummy satellites. These aren't designed to stay in orbit; they're meant to burn up during reentry. It’s all part of the plan to gather data, of course.
However, the Super Heavy booster won't be trying to land back at the launch site. Instead, it's heading for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. During its descent, they'll even be testing a backup engine system, shutting down one of the engines to see if another can seamlessly take over. The booster will then use two center engines for the final landing burn, hovering briefly above the ocean before dropping into the Gulf of Mexico. That sounds risky, right?
For the Starship's upper stage, they've removed some heat shield tiles. It seems counterintuitive, but SpaceX wants to "stress-test vulnerable areas" during reentry. These tiles were removed from spots that showed issues during a previous flight. The idea is to push the limits and gather data about how the vehicle behaves under stress. I imagine that this part is very important.
The FAA gave SpaceX the go-ahead after investigating the previous flight's mishap. The cause? A mix of methane and liquid oxygen ignited due to structural problems. To prevent a repeat, SpaceX is lowering the booster's descent angle to reduce aerodynamic forces. That's a relief!
SpaceX also clarified the explosion back in June at their Massey facility. It destroyed the Starship prototype that was supposed to fly on this Flight 10. The culprit was a damaged composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV). Now, they're operating these COPVs at lower pressure and adding extra inspections to prevent future incidents.
This year hasn't been kind to Starship. Past attempts faced all sorts of problems. But SpaceX is hoping all these changes will finally break the losing streak.
Source: Gizmodo