SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 1
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 Illustration of the Starship launch vehicle | |
| Mission type | Flight test |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Mission duration | 90-100 minutes (planned) |
| Orbits completed | <1 (planned, 250x50km) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET April 18th 2023 (planned)[1][2] |
| Rocket | Starship |
| Launch site | Starbase, Texas |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | NET April 19/20th 2023 (planned) |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean near Kauai |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | Transatmospheric Earth orbit or suborbital |
The Starship Orbital Flight Test is the planned first spaceflight of the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The planned launch site is Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX plans on using Starship prototypes Ship 24 (second stage) and Booster 7 (first stage). The Starship second stage will enter a transatmospheric Earth orbit allowing Ship 24 to reenter the atmosphere after completing most of one orbit without having to restart its engines for a deorbit maneuver. The earliest launch opportunity is currently scheduled for April 17, 2023CDT (13:00 UTC).[3][4][2]
Background
Starship is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by SpaceX.[5] Consisting of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship second stage, the launch vehicle is the largest and most powerful ever developed with a projected 150 metric tons (330,000 pounds) of payload capacity in a fully reusable configuration. Both stages are designed to perform controlled landings at the launch site and be reflown multiple times. SpaceX plans to use the launch vehicle for various applications including satellite deployment, space tourism, and interplanetary spaceflight.[6][7]
An environmental review of the launch site concluded with the issuing of a 'mitigated FONSI' (Finding of No Significant Impact) ruling in June 2022, requiring the company to implement various mitigations to local wildlife and historical sites but otherwise permitting a launch license to be issued.[5]
A flight readiness review was completed on April 8, 2023, with Elon Musk announcing afterward on Twitter that the rocket was "ready for launch; awaiting regulatory approval".[8][6] A planned launch rehearsal scheduled for April 11 was later cancelled.[3] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an orbital launch license for the vehicle on April 14, 2023. As of April 17, 2023[update], the company targeted a launch at 8:00 CDT, but unfortunately a pressurant valve on the Starship froze. SpaceX reported that the rocket will need at least 48 hours to get repaired.
Mission
The launch will take place at Starbase, a SpaceX-owned spaceport located at Boca Chica, Texas purpose-built for the manufacturing and launch of the Starship vehicle. The flight vehicles—Booster 7 and Ship 24—were destacked on April 12 to configure the flight termination system of the Starship upper stage for launch.[3]
Flight attempt 4/17/23
The Vehicle was filled with propellant and ready to go but got scrubbed due to a frozen valve at T- 8:05. Instead of removing the propellant they did a wet dress rehearsal and stopped at T- 40 seconds.
Flight profile
The vehicle will launch from Starbase, at Boca Chica, Texas, on the United States Gulf Coast.[6] The booster and spacecraft will separate about 172 seconds into the flight. The spacecraft will continue under powered flight until reaching the desired transatmospheric Earth orbit, estimated to be around 250x50km (155x31mi), which will cause Starship to decay from orbit after roughly 1 hour, 17 minutes of flight.[9]
Assuming the rocket survives ascent, both the booster and the spacecraft will perform controlled touchdowns on the ocean surface, but neither will be recovered.[9] According to filings with the Federal Communications Commission, the booster will perform a boostback burn and target a landing about 20 miles (32 km) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship spacecraft will target a landing in the Pacific Ocean about 62 miles (100 km) northwest of Kauai.[10]
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| −02:00:00 | SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies go for propellant loading |
| −01:39:00 | Super Heavy booster propellant load (liquid oxygen and liquid methane) underway |
| −01:22:00 | Starship fuel loading (liquid methane) underway |
| −01:17:00 | Starship oxidizer loading (liquid oxygen) underway |
| −00:16:40 | Booster engine chill |
| −00:00:40 | Fluid interfaces begin venting sequence |
| −00:00:08 | Booster ignition sequence begins |
| 00:00:00 | Liftoff |
| 00:00:55 | Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) |
| 00:02:49 | Main engine cutoff (MECO) |
| 00:02:52 | Stage separation |
| 00:02:57 | Starship ignition |
| 00:03:11 | Booster boostback burn startup |
| 00:04:06 | Booster boostback burn shutdown |
| 00:07:32 | Booster is transonic |
| 00:07:40 | Booster landing burn startup |
| 00:08:03 | Booster splashdown |
| 00:09:20 | Starship engine cutoff (SECO) |
| 01:17:21 | Starship atmospheric re-entry interface |
| 01:28:43 | Starship is transonic |
| 01:30:00 | Starship water impact |
See also
- Falcon Heavy test flight
- Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests
- Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit
- Ratsat
References
- ^ "SpaceX - launches". SpaceX. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b SpaceX [@SpaceX] (14 April 2023). "Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 April 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Alcantarilla Romera, Alejandro (14 April 2023). "Starship into final preps for launch targeting second half of April". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ Berger, Eric (14 April 2023). "Green light go: SpaceX receives a launch license from the FAA for Starship". Ars Technica. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Starship". SpaceX. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Roulette, Joey (11 February 2022). "What Is Starship? SpaceX Builds Its Next-Generation Rocket". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Petrova, Magdalena (13 March 2022). "Why Starship is the holy grail for SpaceX". CNBC. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Elon Musk [@elonmusk] (9 April 2023). "Starship is ready for launch 🚀 Awaiting regulatory approval" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 April 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c "Starship Flight Test". SpaceX. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Starship Orbital - First Flight FCC Exhibit".
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