After recent failures, SpaceX's Starship flight 10 set for August
What's the story
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company's Starship rocket will undertake its 10th test flight in August. The announcement was made in a post on X, where Musk wrote, "Starship launches again next month." While no specific date has been confirmed by either Musk or SpaceX, several reports suggest that this flight could take place in early August.
Preflight preparations
SpaceX shares images of Starship at launchpad
SpaceX has also shared images of its upper-stage spacecraft being transported to the launchpad for preflight testing at its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. This comes after a major explosion during preflight testing last month due to a failure in a nosecone-based pressurized tank called COPV (Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel). The incident had triggered a catastrophic chain reaction that destroyed the vehicle and damaged the test site.
Future plans
Musk to share technical update on Starship
Ahead of the 10th test flight, Musk has promised a technical update on the Starship. He said he would discuss "progress to date and engineering/production/launch plans for the future." This update is highly anticipated as it will provide insights into SpaceX's progress with the world's most powerful rocket and its future missions. SpaceX Starship's recent test flights—Flights 8 and 9 in March and May this year—failed due to engine issues, propellant leaks, and loss of control.
Lunar landing
SpaceX's Starship to carry out Artemis missions
The Starship will play a key role in NASA and SpaceX's upcoming Artemis missions, which aim to conduct crew and cargo flights to the Moon. The first mission is likely to use a modified version of the upper-stage spacecraft for landing two astronauts on the lunar surface during Artemis III. This would be NASA's first human landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Ambitious goals
Musk aims for crewed Mars mission
Musk is also hopeful about using the Starship for the first-ever crewed mission to Mars. Although he has hinted at such a mission before this decade ends, it seems more likely to happen in the 2030s at the earliest. The 120-meter-tall Starship first flew in April 2023, with its most recent flight in May this year. Despite its progress, there is still a long way to go before it becomes operational.