Second test flight of the Starship rocket possible this week

SpaceX announced that the second test flight of the Starship rocket may take place next Friday, November 17. It all depends on whether the company obtains approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies, so it cannot be ruled out that the date may change.

The rocket is scheduled to launch from the SpaceX Starbase test facility located on Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, Texas.

“Starship is preparing for launch on November 17, pending final regulatory approval,” Space announced on social media.

Starship is the most powerful rocket in the world – writes space.com. It consists of a Starship and a booster called Super Heavy. Both modules together are as much as 120 meters high, which makes it the largest rocket ever built. SpaceX designed its launch system to be reusable for future space missions.

Starship was selected as the lander that astronauts will fly to our natural satellite in 2025, during the Artemis III mission. Later, it will also take the first people to Mars, help create a self-sufficient colony there and thus make humanity a multiplanetary species.

SpaceX conducted the first test flight of Starship on April 20, but the rocket failed. As a result, the company intentionally detonated the rocket over the Gulf of Mexico several minutes after launch. The second flight will probably be the same. The Starship will rise to an altitude of 234 kilometers and begin to orbit the Earth. It will then fall into the Pacific Ocean, about 225 kilometers off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Booster Super Heavy is scheduled to return via a different route and collide with the Gulf of Mexico approximately 32 km from Boca Chica Beach.

“The first flight test provided many lessons that directly contributed to several improvements to both the vehicle and ground infrastructure to increase the likelihood of success for future flights,” SpaceX wrote.