SpaceX will launch Starship for the sixth time this month

SpaceX will conduct its sixth flight test of Starship, the largest rocket ever built, on November 18, following the successful success of its previous mission lower than a month ago.

The high flight cadence is due partially to this success, which included the first-ever return of the super-heavy booster to the launch site – where massive baton-shaped arms extending from the launch tower caught it in mid-air – and a controlled goal splashdown after the suborbital flight of the spacecraft’s upper stage on Indian Ocean. This sixth test covers a lot of the same objectives; this fact prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to approve each Flight 5 and 6 at the same time last month. Up until this point, SpaceX had to attend (sometimes months) for regulatory approval before each Starship launch.

In post in your websiteSpaceX says it will attempt to copy the same successes on November 18, including catching the booster at the launch site and accurately splashing down the spacecraft. The company will also proceed to check the heat shield and re-entry maneuvers “to expand the capabilities of the ship and boosters and move closer to enabling the entire system to be brought back online.” The engineer also made plenty of system improvements, including greater redundancy in the boosters, propulsion system, updated software controls and other changes.

SpaceX will also try and re-ignite considered one of the six Raptor engines in orbit, which will be a key opportunity to reuse Starship’s upper stage. Engineers will also test this stage in one other way: the company will test recent secondary thermal protection materials. Additionally, as the company put it, “the craft will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, intentionally emphasizing flap control limitations to obtain data on future landing profiles.”

All of this testing will culminate in “significant improvements” to the craft starting with Flight 7, comparable to redesigned flaps, larger fuel tanks and state-of-the-art thermal protection.

The live test webcast will begin roughly half-hour prior to the 30-minute launch window at 2:00 PM Pacific Time and might be viewed on the X or SpaceX website. SpaceX says this late afternoon launch window (which opens at 4 p.m. local time in Texas) will provide higher viewing conditions once it re-enters orbit.