Starship’s 13th Test Flight Ends With a Lucky Splashdown
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been hyping that for years; in 2023, he predicted Starlink deployments from Starship by 2024.The second, relighting one of Starship’s upper-stage engines, opens the way toward an also-delayed orbital test by Starship that will require a deorbit burn in space to ensure a controlled reentry. If SpaceX can recover that stage–the company’s post-flight recap didn’t reveal if it did–it could get valuable data about the performance of the heat shielding that protected it during reentry. Rocket stages that tip into the ocean usually have gone boom at this point. (Credit: Rob Pegoraro/SpaceX) Friday’s launch was the second of Starship’s V3 design, following a May 22 test flight that only ranked as partially successful.
- ▪SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been hyping that for years; in 2023, he predicted Starlink deployments from Starship by 2024.The second, relighting one of Starship’s upper-stage engines, opens the way toward an also-delayed orbital test by Starshi
- ▪If SpaceX can recover that stage–the company’s post-flight recap didn’t reveal if it did–it could get valuable data about the performance of the heat shielding that protected it during reentry.
- ▪Rocket stages that tip into the ocean usually have gone boom at this point. (Credit: Rob Pegoraro/SpaceX) Friday’s launch was the second of Starship’s V3 design, following a May 22 test flight that only ranked as partially successful.
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SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket launched for its 13th time on Friday, notched two planned tests in space, and then had a lucky finish to its suborbital space odyssey: Its upper stage survived a powered landing in the Indian Ocean, at least briefly.The first accomplishment, deploying 20 Starlink V3 satellites for a quick test above the atmosphere, got SpaceX a little closer to its ambitions of delivering 60 V3 Starlinks in a single Starship launch. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been hyping that for years; in 2023, he predicted Starlink deployments from Starship by 2024.The second, relighting one of Starship’s upper-stage engines, opens the way toward an also-delayed orbital test by Starship that will require a deorbit burn in space to ensure a controlled reentry.
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