SpaceX reveals date for next flight of Starship megarocket

SpaceX has revealed that it is targeting Monday, November 18, for nan sixth trial of nan Starship, nan world’s astir powerful rocket comprising nan first-stage Super Heavy booster and nan upper-stage Starship spacecraft.

The monolithic vehicle, which creates astir 17 cardinal pounds of thrust astatine launch, is group to beryllium utilized by NASA for unit and cargo missions to nan moon, and perchance moreover Mars, though there’s still overmuch testing to beryllium done.

“The adjacent Starship formation trial intends to grow nan letter cover connected vessel and booster capabilities and get person to bringing reuse of nan full strategy online,” SpaceX said successful a connection connected its website. “Objectives see nan booster erstwhile again returning to nan motorboat tract for catch, reigniting a vessel Raptor motor while successful space, and testing a suite of heatshield experiments and maneuvering changes for vessel reentry and descent complete nan Indian Ocean.”

The Starship past flew connected October 13 successful its astir successful trial to date. The ngo saw nan Super Heavy deploy nan Starship to orbit earlier returning to Earth to beryllium secured successful spectacular fashion by elephantine mechanical arms attached to nan motorboat tower. It was nan first effort astatine “catching” nan booster, a maneuver that will alteration SpaceX to quickly refurbish and reuse nan rocket for aggregate flights.

SpaceX said a unrecorded webcast of nan upcoming formation test, which will motorboat from SpaceX’s Starbase tract adjacent Boca Chica, Texas, will commencement 30 minutes earlier liftoff. You tin watch nan arena connected X (formerly Twitter). The 30-minute motorboat model will unfastened astatine 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET) connected November 18.

It added that nan schedule could change, truthful beryllium judge to cheque backmost here, aliases SpaceX’s societal media account, for nan latest updates.