SpaceX already gearing up for Starship’s sixth test flight

SpaceX has released images of a Super Heavy booster heading to the launchpad for pre-launch testing.

“Flight 6 Super Heavy booster moved to the Starbase pad for testing,” SpaceX said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

Flight 6 Super Heavy booster moved to the Starbase pad for testing. The move comes just one week after returning the first booster caught following launch pic.twitter.com/iwmqCeF3tE

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 22, 2024

SpaceX, led by the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, is eager to proceed with the sixth test flight of the Starship, which comprises the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft.

Once the ground-based, pre-launch testing of the Super Heavy’s engines is complete, engineers will also test the Starship’s engines. After that, the Starship will be lifted atop the Super Heavy in preparation for the sixth test flight from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The most recent test of the most powerful rocket ever to fly took place on October 13 and was a huge success. The mission involved the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms “catching” the Super Heavy booster as it returned to Earth shortly after deploying the Starship spacecraft to orbit. It was the first attempt to perform the feat, and put SpaceX on a path to creating a reliable, reusable Starship system that will enable it to increase flight frequency and slash mission costs.

There’s no word yet on when the sixth Starship test will take place, but there’s a fair chance it could fly again by the end of next month. A message to news site NASASpaceflight (NSF) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suggested SpaceX currently has clearance to launch, provided it sticks to the same mission profile as Flight 5. However, if SpaceX changes the mission profile, the FAA will need additional time to review it before deciding whether to award a launch permit.

“The SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Flight 5 license authorization also includes FAA approval of the Flight 6 mission profile,” the regulatory body told NSF. “The FAA determined the changes requested by Space for Flight 6 are within the scope of what has been previously analyzed. Any modifications requested by SpaceX to the approved Flight 6 scope of operations may require further FAA evaluation.”

NASA is watching the Starship’s development closely as it will use the vehicle for the Artemis III mission, currently set for 2026, which will land the first humans on the lunar surface in five decades.