The largest and most powerful rocket to ever fly could lift off on its sixth test flight as early as Monday at 5 p.m. EST.
SpaceX will attempt to repeat the historic booster catch maneuver it pulled off during the previous test flight of Starship and Super Heavy. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX is targeting the sixth test flight of its Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster — which comprise the largest and most powerful rocket system ever built — as early as Monday. Both the rocket and booster were moved to the launch mount this week for stacking.
The mission, which like previous Starship flights will be streamed live on SpaceXâ€s website and X account, will feature a second attempt at catching the booster above the launch pad using a pair of metal “chopstick†arms. SpaceX successfully pulled off the unprecedented maneuver, a key step toward making Starship and Super Heavy fully reusable, on the previous test flight.
Barring a postponement due to weather or other factors, SpaceXâ€s live coverage will begin 30 minutes before the launch window opens at 5 p.m. EST Monday. After activating the flame deflector system and igniting Super Heavyâ€s 33 Raptor engines, Starship will lift off from the companyâ€s Starbase launch pad at the southern tip of Texas.
Within minutes, Super Heavy will power down and separate from Starship, hurtling back toward the Earth at supersonic speed. About seven minutes into the mission, SpaceX expects to catch the booster back at Starbase after it slows to a hover.
Perfecting the booster catch, performed using a pair of robotic arms attached to a tower that the company calls “Mechazilla,†is critical for increasing Starshipâ€s launch cadence. SpaceX hopes to reduce the time between missions from months to days, or even hours, by quickly catching, unloading, and returning Super Heavy — and eventually Starship itself — to the pad.
Following stage separation, the massive rocket will fly about halfway around the world. In orbit, SpaceX will relight one of Starshipâ€s six Raptor engines to demonstrate its deorbit burn capability. The spacecraft will need to put on the brakes so it can fuel up at an orbital propellant depot before heading to the moon on NASAâ€s Artemis 3 mission.
About 45 minutes into the flight, Starship will reenter the atmosphere enveloped in glowing plasma. SpaceX will be watching closely — for Flight 6, the company removed some of the rocketâ€s heat shield tiles in locations where Mechazillaâ€s chopstick arms could one day grab it. Engineers will gauge how the new configuration holds up as the firm prepares to catch Starship on a future mission.
After performing a flip maneuver and landing burn, Starship will splash down in the Indian Ocean around 6:05 p.m. EST, about an hour after liftoff.
A successful booster catch and reentry could pave the way for Flight 7 to launch within weeks. Mondayâ€s launch, if it happens, would come just over a month after the previous test flight. But any major mission modifications would require the company to update its FAA launch license, which can be a lengthy process.
Editorâ€s note: This story first appeared on FLYING.
