Brownsville, Texas – SpaceX is gearing up for the fourth flight test of its Starship rocket on June 5th, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Last week, the company conducted a full wet dress rehearsal and completed final preparations by destacking Starship from the Super Heavy booster.
Over the weekend, SpaceX stacked the two rockets together in anticipation of the upcoming launch. While awaiting FAA approval, the company may conduct another fueling test prior to the scheduled June 5th launch attempt. The upcoming test will involve Starship 29 and Super Heavy Booster 11, with the goal of surpassing the achievements of previous tests.
This fourth flight test will follow a similar flight path as the third test, but without certain operations like engine re-light in space, fuel transfer, or payload bay door activities. The primary objectives of this flight include ensuring the successful re-entry and soft landing of both vehicles – Super Heavy in the ocean and Starship through controlled re-entry.
To address issues encountered during the third flight test, SpaceX has implemented various changes. For Super Heavy, modifications include jettisoning the hot staging ring and introducing hardware and software enhancements to prevent previous setbacks. On the Starship side, additional thrusters have been added to enhance attitude control during the coast phase and prevent blockages that led to uncontrolled re-entry in the previous test.
With these updates and modifications in place, the success of the fourth Starship flight test remains uncertain. Will SpaceX overcome previous challenges and achieve greater milestones, or will new issues arise, prompting further corrective actions? The outcome of the upcoming test will undoubtedly provide valuable insights into the future of SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program.