SpaceX Prepares for Starship Test Flight 6 on November 18

November 8, 2024 – SpaceX has announced the target date for its highly anticipated sixth test flight of the Starship rocket. Set for November 18, the upcoming mission aims to further refine the capabilities of both the Starship spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster.

Following the success of the previous test flight, where the Super Heavy booster was returned to the launch pad using an innovative “chopstick” capture method, Flight 6 will focus on demonstrating a relight of one of the Raptor vacuum engines during the rocket’s coast phase. This objective was previously postponed during Flight 3 due to unexpected vehicle roll rates.

The mission is planned as a suborbital flight, with the Starship upper stage expected to splash down in the Indian Ocean. During the flight, SpaceX will conduct various thermal protection experiments and operational changes to push the limits of Starship’s capabilities and gather vital flight data. This information will inform future plans for ship catch and reuse, enhancing the reusability and efficiency of the Starship system.

The Starship rocket, standing at nearly 400 feet tall, is the world’s largest and most powerful rocket. Designed to eventually take humans to Mars, it represents a key component of SpaceX’s long-term vision for space exploration. The company continues to collaborate closely with NASA on the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon.

With this upcoming test flight, SpaceX takes another significant step toward making space travel more affordable and accessible, inching closer to its ambitious goal of creating a sustainable future in space.