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SpaceX Plans Fourth Test Flight for Starship Rocket
SpaceX has announced that it is targeting Thursday for the fourth-ever test flight of its massive Starship rocket. The Starship is known as the biggest and most powerful rocket in the world, standing at an impressive 400 feet tall (122 meters).
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, expressed his confidence in the upcoming flight, stating that “Starship is ready to fly.” Musk shared several photos of the rocket at the Starbase launch site in South Texas.
The test flight was initially scheduled for a day earlier but was pushed back to Thursday for undisclosed reasons. The launch window is expected to open as early as 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) on Thursday, with a live webcast available 30 minutes before liftoff.
Regulatory approval is necessary for the launch to proceed, with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration currently reviewing a license modification for the Starship flight.
Progress of Previous Test Flights
Starship has undergone three test flights so far, showing improvement with each attempt. The upcoming flight aims to demonstrate the rocket’s reusability by focusing on a successful landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
On the previous test flight, Starship achieved orbital velocity but broke apart during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The upcoming trajectory is expected to be similar, with the Super Heavy booster targeting a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico and the upper stage aiming for a landing in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX stated that the primary objectives of this fourth flight test are to execute a landing burn and soft splashdown with the Super Heavy booster, along with achieving a controlled entry of the Starship.
Busy Day in Spaceflight
Despite the focus on the Starship test flight, Wednesday is also set to be a significant day for space exploration. NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance are planning to launch the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission on Wednesday.
The CFT mission will be the first astronaut mission for Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station for a week-long stay. The launch is scheduled for 10:52 a.m. EDT (1452 GMT) atop a ULA Atlas V rocket.
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