Just yesterday, SpaceX announced that the next Starship Flight is only about 11 days away, scheduled to liftoff on November 18th. In addition, they released a host of new information related to the flight profile and general launch plan.
This includes interesting details like a scheduled launch at 4 P.M. CT as opposed to much earlier in the morning in support of a daytime ship landing among other details.
Flight 6 Details
On the 6th SpaceX tweeted saying, “Starship’s fifth flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system. Next up: the sixth flight test of Starship is targeted to launch as early as Monday, November 18.” With November 18th only about 11 days away, this would be a very quick turnaround for the company. To put it in perspective, this would actually be the fastest Starship turnaround yet with the time between Flight 5 and Flight 6 being just 36 days. In other words, assuming SpaceX can get ready in time and launch on the 18th, the company will have taken just over a month to launch Starship again.
This is mainly supported by FAA approval which when looking at past Starship launches has been one of the main limiting factors related to time. When approval came in for Flight 5 it also practically came in for Flight 6 putting SpaceX in a position where they were actually approved before the hardware was all ready. In addition to the approval itself, it’s worth noting that part of the delay in getting FAA approval for the last flight also supported this quick turnaround. Even before Flight 5, SpaceX had begun testing and completing hot fires for the Flight 6 vehicles.
Besides just the date, SpaceX gave more insight into the results of the last flight and the plan for the next launch. In an official statement, they say, “The 30-minute launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. CT. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates.”
This alone is different from what we’ve seen in the past. Usually, Starship launches occur very early in the morning just as the sun is rising in Boca Chica. One of the downsides of that schedule is that by the time the ship makes its way to the other side of the world off the coast of Australia in the Indian Ocean, it’s night. This makes it much harder to see the actual flip maneuver and eventual splashdown.
If they were to launch at 4 P.M., it should be early morning around 6ish A.M. at the ship landing location. This could provide a much better view than what we’ve seen in the past in the event the sun is just coming up.
Moving on, the company is then quoted saying, “The next Starship flight test aims to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online. Objectives include the booster once again returning to the launch site for catch, reigniting a ship Raptor engine while in space, and testing a suite of heatshield experiments and maneuvering changes for ship reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean.”
They go on to say, “The success of the first catch attempt demonstrated the design feasibility while providing valuable data to continue improving hardware and software performance. Hardware upgrades for this flight add additional redundancy to booster propulsion systems, increase structural strength at key areas, and shorten the timeline to offload propellants from the booster following a successful catch. Mission designers also updated software controls and commit criteria for the booster’s launch and return” they said.
Based on these quotes, it’s clear that while SpaceX was very happy with the catch results on Flight 5, they know there is even more room for improvement and want to get additional experience with that mission milestone.
They then highlight that, “Analogous to the fifth flight test, distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch of the Super Heavy booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a final manual command from the mission’s Flight Director. If this command is not sent prior to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with Super Heavy or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only take place if conditions are right” they said.
This means that the default mission trajectory is a landing burn and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Only if all of these pad and vehicle criteria are met will a manual command send the booster back for a second-ever catch attempt. After the last flight we learned that some of the margins during the catch were very close, something the company plans to improve in less than two weeks from now.
They go on to say, “The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the landing zone. Generally, the only impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise with variables like weather and distance from the return site determining the magnitude experienced by observers.”
They then highlight some of the changes regarding the ship. In the statement, they point out, “Starship’s upper stage will fly the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. An additional objective for this flight will be attempting an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine, further demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn prior to orbital missions.”
“Several thermal protection experiments and operational changes will test the limits of Starship’s capabilities and generate flight data to inform plans for ship catch and reuse. The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles. Finally, adjusting the flight’s launch window to the late afternoon at Starbase will enable the ship to reenter over the Indian Ocean in daylight, providing better conditions for visual observations” they said.
This was an interesting point regarding the angle of attack and flap control. For context, the ship set to fly on Flight 6 is not the V2 Starship with altered flap positions. That upgraded ship is expected to be seen in the future on Flight 7. Also, the mention of missing sections of heat shield in locations for catch-enabling hardware is a stong hint toward the company’s future goals. In just a few test flights from now, we could see the first ship tower catch attempt.
In the statement they finish by saying, “Future ships, starting with the vehicle planned for seventh flight test, will fly with significant upgrades including redesigned forward flaps, larger propellant tanks, and the latest generation tiles and secondary thermal protection layers as we continue to iterate towards a fully reusable heat shield. Learnings from this and subsequent flight tests will continue to make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability.”
This confirms that Flight 7 will use all the upgraded hardware. Before then, the company is trying to get as much data as possible regarding the ship and booster with a second catch and another Earth reentry, among other milestones.
After Flight 5 they said, “Starship’s Fifth Flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system. On the first attempt, the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the launch site and was caught by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower at Starbase. Starship’s upper stage went on to demonstrate several improvements, resulting in a controlled entry and high-accuracy splashdown at the targeted area in the Indian Ocean.”
“The entire SpaceX team should take pride in the engineering feat they just accomplished. The world witnessed what the future will look like when Starship starts carrying crew and cargo to destinations on Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond. Congratulations to the SpaceX team for taking this leap in our quest to make life multiplanetary. And thank you to our customers, Cameron County, spaceflight fans, and the wider community for the continued support and encouragement” they said.
With the next flight scheduled so soon, we should expect to see a very busy launch site as they make some of the final preparations. We’ve already seen a ship and booster static fire which leaves very few milestones left. Once the Flight Termination System is installed, we’ll know they are just about ready to launch.
Based on everything SpaceX said, it will be interesting to see what happens after the catch. Obviously, quite a few things need to go right for that to be successful once again, but they made it clear that part of the mission will involve work after a catch. Specifically, they will be trying to reduce the time necessary to offload propellants. The faster they can do this, theoretically the faster it supports future turnarounds. They have already expressed the goal of launching just an hour after a previous launch. Something to look forward to in the future.
Conclusion
SpaceX just announced that the next Starship flight is targeting a date of November 18th, less than two weeks away. Here they are planning to attempt a second booster catch in addition to new milestones related to the heat shield, raptor relight, etc. If successful, this launch would happen only 36 days after Flight 5, a new record for the company.