SpaceX Prepares Starship for First Orbital Flight Test
SpaceX announced on Tuesday its preparations for the upcoming Starship flight test, scheduled for as early as September 22. This mission aims to achieve the vehicle’s inaugural orbital launch and facilitate the deployment of Starlink V3 satellites. Starship’s 14th test flight represents a significant advancement in the rocket’s evolution compared to its previous test in July, which involved a suborbital trajectory that ascended into space before descending back to Earth without achieving orbital completion.
The company intends to position Starship into orbit around Earth, a significant milestone that would enable it to evaluate the vehicle over an extended-duration flight and launch the initial group of Starlink V3 satellites. The mission, pending regulatory approval, is anticipated to endure for nearly 10 hours, with Starship ascending to approximately 275 km above Earth and executing around six orbits prior to its descent into the Pacific Ocean, located west of Chile.
The launch, separation, boostback, and splashdown operations of the booster are going to be evaluated by SpaceX. This will allow the company to move closer to its goal of developing a fully reusable orbital launch vehicle.
