A little over three weeks ago, SpaceX achieved a milestone in the space race by landing the huge booster Super Heavy of the rocket Starship at the launch site. It was the fifth test flight of the spacecraft, and the company Elon Musk He surprised everyone by managing to perform the maneuver on his first attempt. It seems that things are speeding up for SpaceX, and the next flight already has a very close scheduled date: November 18.
Although after the success of the fifth flight, the second that does not end with Super Heavy and Starship exploding in some phase of it, Musk commented that would attempt to land both the first and second stages of the rocket on the ground. However, that moment will still have to wait and, although Super Heavy will do it again on the launch pad, Starship will land in a controlled and precise manner on the Indian Oceanjust like last month.
The main objectives of the mission are, in addition to capturing for the second time with the system Mechazilla to Super Heavy upon his return and restart an engine Abductor in space, try ‘a set of experiments with heat shields and maneuver changes for the ship’s reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean’.
As with each new flight, SpaceX has updated the rocket’s hardware and software. This has added additional redundancy to booster propulsion systems, increased structural strength in key areas, and shortened the time to unload Super Heavy’s fuel following a successful capture. Software controls have also been updated and the criteria for launching and returning the rocket have been adjusted.
As happened on the previous flight, It is not assured that Super Heavy will attempt a land landing. The final decision will be made by the flight director of the mission. ‘If the order is not given before the engines are fired for return or if thruster or tower checks show unacceptable conditionsSuper Heavy will adjust to a trajectory that will take it to a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico. We make no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and The return to land will only be carried out if the conditions are suitable‘, explains SpaceX. The company also warns that the return of Super Heavy will cause sonic booms audible in the landing zone area that will be like ‘a brief crack of thunder’.
In addition to the aforementioned objectives, several thermal protection experiments and operational changes to test the ship’s capabilities. ‘New secondary heat shielding materials will be evaluated and entire sections of heat shield tiles on both sides of the ship will be removed in locations that are being studied for hardware that enables capture in future vehicles.’ In the final phase of descent, the spacecraft will fly in an angle of attack higher to obtain data on future landing profiles.
The launch will take place on Monday, November 18 at 23:00, Spanish time16:00 CT on Starbase. With this schedule, SpaceX wants the two stages to return in daylight and obtain better visual observation.