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November 18, 2024 | 09:40 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - SpaceX continues testing the world's most powerful rocket, Starship. SpaceX announced on its website that they are preparing for the 6th test to be conducted on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, local time. The schedule has been delayed by a day from the previous announcement.
Preparations for the relaunch test of Starship are supported by a Notice to Airmen (Notam) from the Federal Aviation Authority of the United States (FAA), warning about the rocket launch from SpaceX's launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. The launch window will open at 4 pm local time or 5 am, November 20, West Indonesia Time.
SpaceX has conducted its first five tests in just 18 months. The fifth test was conducted in mid-October. If SpaceX indeed conducts the 6th test this week, it means only a month has passed since the last test--the shortest test interval ever.
In the last fifth test, with only one attempt, the booster rocket of Starship, Super Heavy, successfully returned to the Starbase pad in Boca Chica. The rocket could be caught by the gripping arm on the launch tower.
Excerpt from SpaceX's video successfully capturing back its rocket in the 5th Starship test. YouTube
Meanwhile, the upper part of Starship, Raptor, continues to soar to demonstrate some refinements, as seen in the controlled reentry into Earth's atmosphere and precise splashdown point in the Indian Ocean.
The upcoming 6th Starship test will repeat the test of bringing back the booster rocket to its launch site to then be caught by the gripping arm on the launch tower. The goal is to continue improving hardware and software performance.
For the upper part of the rocket, SpaceX will also make Raptor repeat the launch with the same suborbital trajectory. The difference in the upcoming 6th test is an additional task, which is to try turning off and on the rocket engine while still outside orbit. This is a test of capabilities in the event of needing to deorbit from the initial mission.
Several heat shield experiments will be conducted to test the limits of Starship's capabilities. Then, there will be operational changes for flight data generation tests aimed at informing plans for Raptor capture and reuse.
Finally, SpaceX changed the launch window for Starship's 6th test to the local afternoon. The hope is that Raptor can return to Earth during daylight to provide better visual observation conditions.
Editor's Choice: SpaceX's Starship Survives Return to Earth, Aces Landing Test on Fourth Try
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