SpaceX Starship Test Flight Set for Mid-October
(MENAFN) SpaceX has set its sights on mid-October for the 11th test flight of its Starship rocket, the company confirmed on Monday.
The launch is slated for as early as Monday, Oct. 13, with the window opening at 6:15 p.m. Central Time (2315 GMT).
This flight will see the Starship booster lifted by 24 proven Raptor engines, intended to test a new landing burn configuration designed for future Super Heavy rockets. Unlike previous tests, the booster will aim for an offshore landing point in the Gulf of Mexico, rather than returning to the launch site for a catch attempt, SpaceX revealed.
The Starship upper stage will carry out several key in-space tasks, including deploying eight Starlink simulators. These simulators, designed to resemble the company's next-gen Starlink satellites, will follow a similar suborbital path as Starship and are expected to burn up upon reentry.
Additionally, the mission will feature a range of experiments and operational adjustments that are intended to support future Starship missions, particularly those that aim to bring the upper stage back to the launch site. As part of the testing, some heat-shield tiles have been deliberately removed to place stress on critical areas of the vehicle during reentry.
To simulate the final phase of future return missions to SpaceX's Starbase in Texas, the test will include a dynamic banking maneuver, followed by an evaluation of subsonic guidance algorithms. The mission will conclude with a landing burn and splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
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