Objectives of the new flight test include booster returning to launch site, engine reigniting in space, heat shield experiments, ship reentry maneuvering, descent over ocean.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX plans to have the sixth flight test of its giant Starship rocket as soon as next Monday, Nov. 18, according to the company.
Objectives of the new flight test include the booster once again returning to the launch site for catch, reigniting a ship Raptor engine while in space, and testing a suite of heat shield experiments and maneuvering changes for ship reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean, according to SpaceX.
SpaceX had its fifth flight test of Starship on Oct. 14, achieving the return of its booster back to the launch pad for the first time.
SpaceX said the fifth flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system. On the first attempt, the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the launch site and was caught by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower at Starbase.
Starship's upper stage also demonstrated several improvements in the fifth flight test, resulting in a controlled entry and high accuracy splashdown at the targeted area in the Indian Ocean, according to SpaceX.
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket, collectively referred to as Starship, represent a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the moon, Mars and beyond. ■