SpaceX is gearing up for the fifth test flight of its Starship megarocket, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. The company has confirmed that the Starship and Super Heavy are ready for the upcoming flight, pending regulatory approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
The Starship consists of two reusable elements – a massive first stage called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship. SpaceX plans to catch the returning Super Heavy during the Flight 5 mission using the “chopstick” arms of the launch tower at its Starbase site in South Texas, something they have never attempted before.
The previous four Starship test flights have seen the Super Heavy splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, but on the June flight, both stages successfully landed intact. SpaceX has conducted engine tests on both stages of the Flight 5 vehicle, ensuring everything is in working order before the upcoming test flight.
SpaceX sees Starship as a breakthrough in space exploration, with plans to make settlement on the moon and Mars economically feasible. The company’s ultimate goal is to make space travel more accessible and sustainable for future missions.
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Michael Wall, a Senior Space Writer with Space.com, has been covering exoplanets, spaceflight, and military space since 2010. His book “Out There” explores the search for alien life and was published in 2018. With a background in evolutionary biology and science writing, Michael is dedicated to sharing the wonders of space exploration with the world. Follow him on Twitter for his latest projects and updates in the world of space.
