SpaceX sets sights on Moon with November starship test
SpaceX plans to conduct the sixth test flight of the Starship rocket on November 18th. The previous fifth test, which took place on October 13th, was a complete success. It allowed for the precise capture of the Super Heavy booster and a controlled landing of the second stage in the ocean. The plan is to use this rocket not only for launching payloads but also for colonizing the Moon.
This refers to a two-stage mega rocket, standing over 121 metres tall. It consists of the Super Heavy booster and the second stage, the Starship spacecraft.
This project aims to launch the largest payloads into orbit and significantly reduce space transportation costs.
During the fifth test flight, the Super Heavy booster was precisely captured for the first time by the mechanical arms of the launch tower after detachment from the rocket. The second stage, after an hour-long flight, made a controlled "landing" on the ocean waters, marking a complete mission success.
Elon Musk's company has high hopes for the Starship project. The plan is to use this rocket not only for launching payloads but also for the colonization of the Moon, and in the future, Mars. A sufficiently large fleet of these ships could ensure regular transport connections with the Moon, making humanity an interplanetary species.
The project is also of high interest to NASA. The American space agency intends to use the Starship rocket as part of the Artemis 3 mission, planned for 2026, to send astronauts back to the Moon.
Previous test flights, apart from the fifth, were not fully successful and ended in spacecraft explosions. In April 2023, during the first attempt, the spacecraft exploded about four minutes after launch due to a failed detachment from the Super Heavy booster. Another failed attempt occurred in June of the same year when the upper stage of the rocket detached but exploded after separation.
In the third test flight, in July 2023, the Starship performed its first re-entry manoeuvre from space into the atmosphere. Although it was destroyed, engineers were able to gather valuable data. During the fourth flight in September 2023, the booster separated as planned and fell into the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship survived atmospheric re-entry and was landed in the water.
The upcoming sixth test flight aims to continue advancements in the development of the Starship rocket and bring SpaceX closer to achieving ambitious goals related to space exploration. Through this project, people may become an interplanetary species, inhabiting not only Earth but also other celestial bodies.
