SpaceX's Starship to fly again 'in 4 weeks,' Elon Musk says

News
By
published

The flight will feature an exciting new twist.

aerial view of a huge rocket launching from a seaside pad, creating a giant cloud of exhaust and dust
SpaceX's Starship rocket launches on its fourth fully integrated test flight, on June 6, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

We won't have to wait much longer to see the most powerful rocket ever built take to the skies again, if all goes according to plan.

That rocket, SpaceX's 400-foot-tall (122 meters) Starship, has flown four test flights to date. And number five should be just around the corner, according to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.

"Flight 5 in 4 weeks," Musk said Friday (July 5) via X, the social media platform he owns. 

Starship consists of two elements: a first-stage booster known as Super Heavy and a 165-foot-tall upper-stage spacecraft called Starship, or simply Ship. Both are designed to be reusable.

Starship's four test flights occurred in April and November of 2023 and March 14 and June 6 of this year. All have launched from Starbase, SpaceX's site in South Texas, near the city of Brownsville.

The vehicle has performed better on each successive flight. The most recent launch, for example, went entirely according to plan; Super Heavy and Ship separated on  time and came back to Earth as planned, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean, respectively.

That success helps explain the relatively rapid turnaround for Flight 5. Because Starship performed as expected on June 6, SpaceX has fewer issues to analyze ahead of the next launch. And the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration didn't require a mishap investigation, so technical readiness, rather than regulatory approval, is the main timeline driver for Flight 5.

RELATED STORIES

 —  Watch SpaceX catch Starship Super Heavy booster with 'chopsticks' in this animation

— Starship and Super Heavy: SpaceX's Mars transportation system

— SpaceX fires up Starship rocket for upcoming 5th test flight (photos, video)

Flight 5 will feature an exciting new twist, if all goes according to plan: SpaceX has said it aims to bring the giant booster back for a pinpoint landing on Starbase's launch mount, an effort that will be aided by the "chopstick" arms of the facility's launch tower.

This bold strategy will increase Starship's flight cadence, allowing the booster to be inspected, refurbished and relaunched more rapidly, Musk has said. 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • GgSs
    Recently I saw somewhere a mention of the "chopstick" launch tower arms be subject to oscillations when they are being closed together (I do not know, whether it's true or not). If it is true - could giving these arms a sort of curved extensions (so that on closing the arms these extensions would bump into each other and dampen the oscillations) be of use?
    Reply
  • Erny_Module
    I don't know why everyone who writes about space insists on using the word "Cadence". It's not the right word. The word you're looking for is 'rate', as in launch rate - the frequency of launches. Cadence refers to something measured and rhythmical, which launches are not - they do not occur in any sort of rhythm but more-or-less at random. I know it doesn't sound as clever, but it is a more accurate description.

    Cadence | ˈkeɪdns | noun
    • A modulation or inflection of the voice: his measured cadences never convey the character's underlying passion. • a rhythmical effect in written text: the dry cadences of the essay.
    • a fall in pitch of the voice at the end of a phrase or sentence.
    • rhythm: the thumping cadence of the engines.

    • A sequence of notes or chords comprising the close of a musical phrase: the final cadences of the Prelude.
    Reply
  • Unclear Engineer
    There are lots of definitions for "cadence". For instance, look at the equestrian definition.

    But, in the case of SpaceX working on reusable launch vehicles, there is some effort to having a quick schedule for reuse. A series of tasks is intended to be completed in a repetitive manner to be able to relaunch in a preplanned time interval. For instance, in the situations where multiple tankers are intended to be launched into LEO to refuel one StarShip for a mission beyond LEO, cadence becomes an appropriate term.
    Reply
  • Philly
    Catching/recovering the 1st stage SH is a major step forward. It allows for re-use of Stage 1 and saving all those Raptors for re-use. I just don't know if those small pegs are going to be large enough to work consistently. I could see maybe 3 pegs and a curved catch arm to allow for things like late wind gusts. I have also thought the Super Heavy could use a catcher's mitt kind of landing system. Something to guide the rocker into position while helping slow it down, too.
    Reply
  • Classical Motion
    Why not land it in a fresh water pool?
    Reply
  • ChrisA
    Philly said:
    Catching/recovering the 1st stage SH is a major step forward. It allows for re-use of Stage 1 and saving all those Raptors for re-use. I just don't know if those small pegs are going to be large enough to work consistently. I could see maybe 3 pegs and a curved catch arm to allow for things like late wind gusts. I have also thought the Super Heavy could use a catcher's mitt kind of landing system. Something to guide the rocker into position while helping slow it down, too.
    Maybe you forget what a returning booster is, a huge empty take filled with air, Yes there are 30+ motors on the botoom but to a first approximation SH, at this point, is just a metal tank filled with air.

    Also, don't ypou thing they have already lifted the booster by those "small pegs" more then a few times. A few days ago we saw them testing the chopsticks by impacts a booster mockup much harder then needed, to see it this caused damage. I'd imagine they tested the structure using hydraulic presses too
    Reply