Starship flight test 6
| Names | Integrated Flight Test-6 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Flight test |
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Starship Ship 31 |
| Spacecraft type | Starship |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET November 18, 2024, 22:00 UTC (4:00 pm CST)[1] |
| Rocket | Super Heavy (B13) |
| Launch site | Starbase, OLP-A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing site |
|
Starship flight test 6 will be the sixth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The prototype vehicles expected to be flown are the Ship 31 upper stage and first stage Booster 13.[2][3] SpaceX is expected to perform the flight test no earlier than November 18, 2024, at 22:00 UTC (4:00 pm CST, local time at the launch site).[1]
Although the flight will have a similar profile to Flight 5, a suborbital flight to the Indian Ocean, it will have several changes to gain flight data for future ship recovery and reuse. The ship will reenter the atmosphere at a steeper angle to test the limits of the flaps, and certain parts will be outfitted with new thermal protection materials. Certain areas of the heat shield will be missing in anticipation of the addition of catch hardware on future ships, which will be needed to land the ship on the arms of the launch tower. Flight 6 will be the first flight to include an in-space burn of a single Raptor engine, demonstrating the deorbiting capability of Starship. The flight is occurring at a later time of day than the previous flights to enable the ship to reenter during the day for better visual observations.[1]
Background
[edit]Vehicle testing ahead of launch
[edit]Starship Ship 31 (S31) was rolled to Masseys Test Site at SpaceX Starbase in Texas for cryogenic testing on May 11.[4] During its first cryogenic test on May 12, an electrical anomaly occurred,[5] and Starship Ship 31 was rolled back to the production site for repairs on May 15.[6] S31 completed a successful cryogenic test in early July.[7] S31 completed a successful static fire on September 18.[8] It was rolled to launch site on November 11.[9]
Super Heavy Booster 13 (B13) was moved to the Orbital Launch Pad on October 22. While on the launch pad it conducted a static fire of all 33 of its Raptor engines on October 24.[10]
Mission profile
[edit]The mission profile for flight test 6 is similar to that of flight test 5, with booster 13 returning to the launch site and S31 landing in the Indian Ocean.[11] However, S31 will also attempt an in-space relight,[1] which had originally been planned for flight test 3.[12]
Flight timeline
[edit]| Time | Event[1] |
|---|---|
| −01:15:00 | Flight Director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading |
| −00:49:50 | Starship fuel (liquid methane) load start |
| −00:49:21 | Starship oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start |
| −00:41:15 | Super Heavy fuel (liquid methane) load start |
| −00:35:39 | Super Heavy oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start |
| −00:19:40 | Super Heavy and Starship engine chill |
| −00:03:20 | Starship propellant load complete |
| −00:02:50 | Super Heavy propellant load complete |
| −00:00:30 | SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch |
| −00:00:10 | Flame deflector activation |
| −00:00:03 | Super Heavy engine ignition |
| +00:00:02 | Liftoff |
| +00:01:02 | Max q during ascent (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) |
| +00:02:32 | Super Heavy most engines cutoff (MECO) |
| +00:02:39 | Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging) |
| +00:02:44 | Super Heavy boostback burn start |
| +00:03:38 | Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown |
| +00:03:40 | Hot-stage jettison |
| +00:06:25 | Super Heavy is transonic |
| +00:06:38 | Super Heavy landing burn start |
| +00:07:00 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and catch |
| +00:08:27 | Starship engine cutoff (SECO) |
| +00:37:46 | Raptor in-space relight |
| +00:47:13 | Starship entry |
| +01:02:06 | Starship is transonic |
| +01:03:12 | Starship is subsonic |
| +01:04:56 | Starship landing flip |
| +01:05:01 | Starship landing burn |
| +01:05:24 | Starship splashdown |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Starship's Sixth Flight Test". SpaceX. November 6, 2024. Archived from the original on November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ SpaceX Revving Up for Starship Flight 3. NASASpaceflight. January 29, 2024. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
Then there's Flight 6, which if all of the other numbers line up as we suspect, is slated to be flown by Booster 13 and Ship 31.
- ^ Weber, Ryan (May 16, 2024). "Starship Flight 4 begins Wet Dress Rehearsal campaign". NASASpaceflight. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
Ship 31's other half, which is assumed to be Booster 13
- ^ Bergin, Chris [@nasaspaceflight] (May 11, 2024). "With Booster 11 (Flight 4) now at the launch site. Ship 31 (Flight 6) is preparing to roll to Masseys" (Tweet). Retrieved May 11, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Ship 29 Rolled Out for Full Starship Stack Testing. NASASpaceflight. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Starbase Live: 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility. NASASpaceflight. July 12, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Starbase Prepares for Tropical Storm Beryl. NASASpaceflight. July 7, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Booster 12 and Ship 30 Roll Out For Testing, Ship 31 Static Fires and Rolls Back. NASASpaceflight. September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ SpaceX Rolls Ship 31 to the Launch Site. NASASpaceflight. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ SpaceX Tests Super Heavy 13 Booster for Starship Flight 6. NASASpaceflight. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Starship's Fifth Flight Test". SpaceX. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ^ "Starship's Third Flight Test". SpaceX. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
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