SpaceX's Starship program is gearing up for another test flight, and this time, it's all about the booster. The company recently completed a static fire test of Booster 20, the latest Super Heavy booster to roll off the assembly line. This test is significant because it marks the second 'Version 3' (V3) booster to reach the pad at Starbase for testing, and it's equipped with 33 of SpaceX's upgraded Raptor 3 engines. The engines ignited in a blazing heat on Friday just before 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), and underwent a roughly 25-second burn simulating the duration and flight conditions for an actual launch.
This successful completion of Booster 20's static test fire paves the way for Starship's upcoming test launch, Flight 13. The launch could happen as early as Wednesday (July 15), according to a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration. This flight will follow the same basic timeline as Flight 12, which lifted off in May with mixed success. Flight 12 was the first launch of Starship V3, and prompted SpaceX to fly a slightly more conservative mission than many previous tests.
Starship V3 packs a much stronger punch than its predecessor, V2. The rocket was upgraded with enhanced avionics to reduce mass and increase launch capacity, a taller fuel tank with a larger volume, and equipment for transferring propellant between spacecraft. A handful of those missions will be for NASA's Artemis program, and the agency's plans to return to the moon. Starship is one of two lunar landers currently contracted to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface, so, its success and timely demonstration of the technologies needed to do so are coming under a microscope as the timeline for those missions shrinks.
The upcoming Flight 13 will give SpaceX a chance to demonstrate the descent profile of the Starship's upper stage, Ship 40, while also working through the booster and engine issues encountered during Flight 12. If all goes according to plan, the launch will bring Starship V3 closer to more ambitious tests, including orbital insertion, propellant transfer, and the recovery of both stages back at Starbase. This is a crucial step towards Starship's goal of being fully reusable and capable of delivering over 100 tons to low Earth orbit.
One of the challenges SpaceX faces is landing the Starship's upper stage, Ship. While SpaceX has a lot of practice landing and reflying rocket boosters, the company's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket launches several times a month and is routinely recovered, refurbished, and reflown within a short few weeks. However, landing Ship is much different than landing Super Heavy. SpaceX has not yet attempted to land a Ship upper stage, and this is a complex engineering question that needs to be solved.
Ship drops through the atmosphere belly-first, allowing the black, hexagonal heat shield tiles that cover half the vehicle to absorb the blazing temperatures of reentry. Fins near the spacecraft's nose and base control its orientation and attitude, which remains mostly horizontal during its freefall. As Ship's altitude decreases toward sea level, the vehicle performs a 'flip and burn' maneuver that swings the whole stage upright and arrests its descent for a soft touchdown.
In conclusion, SpaceX's Starship program is making significant progress towards its goal of being fully reusable and capable of delivering over 100 tons to low Earth orbit. The upcoming Flight 13 will be a crucial test for the company, demonstrating the descent profile of the Starship's upper stage and working through the booster and engine issues encountered during Flight 12. The success of this mission will bring Starship V3 closer to more ambitious tests, including orbital insertion, propellant transfer, and the recovery of both stages back at Starbase.
