Starship Flight 6 booster static fire test, 2nd stage catch next year, more updates

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Last week we reported that SpaceX has moved the Flight 6 Super Heavy rocket booster to the Starbase, orbital launch mount (OLM/launch pad) for testing.

This was the first major event after the successful Flight 5 launch and landing test earlier this month. In addition to sharing the Super Heavy booster update, Elon Musk gave updates on upcoming flights and future Starship plans through his social media platform X (Twitter).

Flight 6 Starship 2nd stage (Ship 31 spacecraft) pictured during a static fire test on Wednesday 18th September 2024 at the Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas.
Flight 6 Starship 2nd stage (Ship 31 spacecraft) pictured during a static fire test on Wednesday 18th September 2024 at the Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. Credit: SpaceX via X (Twitter).

Flight 6 Super Heavy Static Fire Test

SpaceX has been busy preparing for Flight 6 on the ground. Less than two weeks after the Flight 5 test, Elon Musk’s spaceflight company performed a static fire test on the Flight 6 Super Heavy (Booster 13) on Thursday 24th October.

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Video: Starship Flight 6 (IFT-6) Super Heavy Booster 13 static fire and its preparations ahead of the test at the SpaceX Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas.

An interesting observation struck my mind as I was looking at the Flight 6 booster static fire preparations in the video above. The orbital launch mount (OLM / the launch pad) was ready to be mounted with another booster after the Flight 5 liftoff just 10 days ago.

This suggests that the OLM did not incur any significant damages even after the full-throttle 33-engine thrust at Flight 5 liftoff. SpaceX’s innovative water deluge system has proven to be a critical component of Starship’s reusability. As soon as the launch pad is ready after a flight, it will be able to catch or launch another Starship.

SpaceX performed a 33-engine static fire test on Flight 6 Super Heavy booster for a full duration of 10 seconds before the Raptor engines shut off.

Before performing the test, it was interesting to look at the Super Heavy booster getting frosted gradually upwards as it is filled with liquid oxygen (LOX) for the cryogenic pressure-proof testing (cryo test).

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Starship Upper Stage Catch Next Year

Elon Musk and his entire SpaceX team celebrated the success of the Flight 5 Super Heavy catch-landing the entire following week of the event. The vibrant CEO of the spaceflight company shared some updates and the upcoming plans for the Starship program during this time.

Catching the Starship’s upper/2nd stage spaceship can also happen with the upcoming Flight 6 launch and landing test. Although SpaceX caught the booster this time, it’s not a complete landing test without catching the 2nd stage of the ship.

With the FAA delays experienced in the Flight 5 test, there is a chance that the Starship Flight 6 test will be postponed to the next year. If that happens, SpaceX might attempt catching the 2nd stage ship as early as Flight 6.

Musk predicted on X (Twitter) that SpaceX will attempt to catch the Starship upper-stage spaceship early next year (2025). The success of this test will be a significant milestone in achieving full-stack reusability of Starship.

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Tesla/SpaceX fan and our follower @Kristennetten asks Elon Musk if the ship and booster catch will happen in Flight 7 (IFT-7) next year. We think it’s possible with the upcoming Starship Flight 6 (IFT-6) test.

In the previous Starship Flight 5 launch and landing test, the upper stage Ship 30 made a soft splashdown landing in the Indian Ocean as planned. According to Elon Musk, this is “paving the way for return to launch site and being caught by the tower arms, like the booster”.

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Stay tuned for future updates on Starship and SpaceX, Follow us on:
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Related SpaceX / Starship News

Iqtidar Ali
Iqtidar Alihttp://www.teslaoracle.com
Author of more than 1500 articles on Tesla, SpaceX, and EVs. His work has been liked and tweeted by Elon Musk and other prominent influencers. You can reach him on Twitter @IqtidarAlii

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