Elon Musk‘s rocket manufacturing company SpaceX is eyeing as early as Feb. 26 for the next test flight of its Starship launch vehicle, according to an advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What Happened: According to the advisory, the company has backup dates until March 6 in case the launch on the 26th is not possible.
SpaceX last launched Starship on Jan. 16. The spacecraft lifted off from Starbase in Texas at 4:37 p.m. CT, and the vehicle booster landed back at the launch site after separation from its first stage.
The spacecraft, however, disintegrated in space during the flight test. The spacecraft was carrying 10 Starlink simulators, which were similar in size and weight to the company’s next-generation Starlink satellites, as payload.
The FAA subsequently ordered an investigation into the incident following reports of public property damage in Turks and Caicos. The probe will be spearheaded by SpaceX itself but the federal agency must approve the final report and corrective actions made to prevent a recurrence of the issue. Starship cannot fly again until the probe is concluded.
Why It Matters: The upcoming test flight would be Starship’s eighth to date and second this year. SpaceX started testing Starship in April 2023.
The Starship vehicle is part of big dreams. While NASA is looking forward to landing humans back on the surface of the Moon after a gap of over 50 years with the help of a custom version of Starship, Musk is dreaming of taking humans to the planet Mars aboard Starship. However, the vehicle is currently in the testing and development phase.
“…I would not be surprised if we fly 400 Starship launches in the next four years,” SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said at the Baron Investment Conference in New York in November.
Starship, the President then said, will eventually take SpaceX “over the top as one of the most valuable companies.”
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Photo courtesy: SpaceX
