Sometime today, SpaceX hopes to run the main test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket, which is yet to fly a prototype of the vehicle at its highest altitude. There are plans to launch a giant rocket at an altitude of about 8 miles, or 12.5 kilometers, above the SpaceX facility in Boka Chika, Texas, before landing the vehicle on the ground again.
The test is aimed at proving the starship’s direct landing and landing capabilities, which the spacecraft will be expected to perform both on Earth and on other worlds. SpaceX aims to use starships to send cargo and people to deeper places like the Moon and Mars. Tests like these will help demonstrate the starship’s ability to perform controlled flights and see the rocket’s hardware – especially the three main Raptor engines – perform as expected.
The start and landing of today’s test is just one part. On its website, SpaceX claims that the Starship prototype will actually “land a flip drill, which will be the first for a vehicle of this size.” There aren’t many details about the maneuver available to the public, but it’s a risky test that could easily go wrong with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Just giving the flight a “1/3 chance” of success. SpaceX itself is also considering the possibility that the test will completely shut down the launch and landing.
“With a test like this, success is not measured by meeting specific objectives, but how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the likelihood of future success as SpaceX accelerates the development of the starship,” SpaceX wrote on its website. Flight on But, if all goes well, the flight company will try to do more ambitious tests in the future, eventually ending up entering the orbit of the Starship.
For this test, SpaceX plans to provide live streaming of the flight, which will go live beyond takeoff. However, it is difficult to give a definite time for when it will happen. The Federal Aviation Administration released flight restrictions for the airspace around Boca Chika from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, and there are also flight restrictions for Wednesdays and Thursdays this week. SpaceX writes, “The schedule is dynamic and it is possible that it will change, as is the case with all development tests.” The company will Provide updates via Twitter, So don’t forget to follow SpaceX all day to get a glimpse of the flight of this rocket.
