IT Home reported on March 7 that the SpaceX giant rocket starship is about to make its third test flight to test its performance limits. The test flight, scheduled to take place as early as March 14, is more ambitious and more complex than the previous two.
The 122-meter-tall two-stage rocket will perform a series of ambitious missions, which SpaceX said in its mission description include "opening and closing Starship's payload hatches, propellant transfer demonstrations during the taxiing phase of the upper stage booster, re-igniting the Raptor engine in space for the first time in history, and controlling Starship re-entry."
SpaceX added that "Starship will also feature a new flight trajectory with the goal of splashing down in the Indian Ocean." This new flight path allows us to experiment with new technologies such as space ignition while maximizing public safety. ”
According to IT House, Starship is designed to help humans land on the Moon and Mars, as well as perform a variety of other space exploration missions. This stainless steel rocket is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, and is designed to be fully and quickly reusable.
To date, Starship has made two test flights, both from Starbase base in South Texas. The purpose of the two test flights was to get the Upper Booster to fly most of the way around the Earth before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. However, both test flights were unsuccessful in achieving the set goals.
During the first test flight in April 2023, Starship's two boosters failed to separate as planned, and the rocket was detonated about four minutes after launch. The second test flight took place in November 2023, and the Starship performed much better. The first stage booster ignited normally, and the two boosters separated as planned. The upper stage booster was about 8 minutes after launch during the discharge of liquid oxygen gas**, but SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said that this is unlikely to happen in actual flight.
We don't usually carry that much liquid oxygen if it carries a payload," Musk said on Jan. 12, "so ironically, if it had carried a payload, it would have been in orbit." ”
SpaceX has set March 14 as the target date for its third test flight, but as the company notes in its mission description, that date is not a foregone conclusion. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently completed an investigation into the November Starship test flight accident, but the agency has yet to issue it a third launch permit.