SpaceX will launch Starship for a seventh test flight on Thursday, after weather concerns pushed back an experiment that will feature the spacecraft’s first payload deployment test, in what may be the latest milestone for the Elon Musk-owned aerospace company as it develops reusable rockets.
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship stands shrouded in fog and clouds as it is prepared for a test flight ... [+]
SpaceX has scheduled to launch Starship from Boca Chica, Texas, at around 5 p.m. EST, with a livestream starting at about 4:15 p.m. on SpaceX’s X account and website.
The seven-day forecast from the nearest National Weather Service station showed it was 55 degrees with fog and mist around the previously scheduled time of the launch Wednesday, and the forecast for Thursday said it would be cloudy in the mid morning before clearing in the afternoon.
Starship’s flight is expected to last just over 66 minutes, according to SpaceX, and will feature several experiments for the spacecraft, including Starship’s first payload deployment test—a set of 10 replica Starlink satellites—and tests for upgrades to the spacecraft’s flight computer, avionics and heat shield.
Starship’s Super Heavy booster will reuse one of its 33 engines for the first time and SpaceX will attempt to catch the booster with two mechanical arms—similar to a successful catch during Starship’s fifth launch test—if conditions are optimal.
During Starship’s sixth launch test in November, the spacecraft splashed down in the Indian Ocean but an attempted catch of its Super Heavy booster was skipped.
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The Federal Aviation Administration has allowed SpaceX to launch Starship between Jan. 9 and Jan. 17, suggesting the company could have until Friday. SpaceX officials have reportedly said it could take several days to refuel the spacecraft, which could delay Starship’s seventh launch further.
SpaceX has requested approval from the FAA to increase the maximum number of annual Starship launches from five to 25. The FAA is expected to rule on the proposal after a public comment period ends on Jan. 17.
SpaceX has launched Starship six times since the spacecraft’s debut flight in April 2023. SpaceX has tested Starship to make the spacecraft fully reusable, allowing the ship to carry both cargo and people to space. Starship is considered the largest and most powerful rocket ever developed and stands at nearly 400 feet. The first test lasted just four minutes, and a second test flight in November 2023 lasted eight minutes because of a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” The spacecraft successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere during its fourth test launch in June 2024, during which SpaceX maintained contact with Starship throughout its flight and the spacecraft completed its first landing burn about an hour after launch.
Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn heavy lift rocket into orbit for the first time Thursday, though the company failed to recover the reusable booster stage of the rocket. Bezos’ Blue Origin and Musk’s SpaceX have competed in recent years for governmental contracts and funding to develop a lunar lander for Artemis V, a NASA mission that will return astronauts to the moon in 2029. NASA has said it intends to ask both companies to develop cargo versions of NASA’s crewed human landing systems.
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