SpaceX Starship orbital test flight

SpaceX Starship's first orbital test flight is expected to launch once SpaceX completes a successful test of all 33 Raptor 2 engines, and makes environmental adjustments to Starbase, the planned launch site, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.[2][3][4] SpaceX plans on using Starship prototypes, Ship 24 and Booster 7. The Starship second stage may enter a transatmospheric Earth orbit with a positive perigee in the atmosphere. This will allow Ship 24 to reenter the atmosphere after completing around one orbit without having to restart its engines for a deorbit maneuver.

Starship orbital test flight
Illustration of a full stack on the launch pad
Mission typeTest flight
OperatorSpaceX
Mission duration90 minutes (planned)
Orbits completed<1 (planned)
Start of mission
Launch dateNET March 2023[1]
RocketStarship
Launch siteStarbase, Texas
ContractorSpaceX
End of mission
Landing sitePacific Ocean near Kauai
Orbital parameters
RegimeTransatmospheric Earth orbit or Suborbital
 

Background
Further information: SpaceX Starship and SpaceX Starship development

Starship is planned to be a fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle, designed by SpaceX.[5] Made up of two stages, Starship is planned to be used for satellite deployment, space tourism, and interplanetary spaceflight.[6][7]

Mission

The vehicle will launch from Starbase, at Boca Chica, Texas, on the United States Gulf Coast.[8] The booster and spacecraft will separate about 170 seconds into the flight. The booster will partially return, and land about 20 miles (32 km) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft will execute a deceleration burn while reentering the atmosphere, and then perform a propulsive landing in the Pacific Ocean, about 62 miles (100 km) northwest of Kauai.[9] More recent filings suggest that SpaceX wants to keep the possibility of catching the super heavy booster.[10] As of February 2023, SpaceX is working towards a potential launch date in March 2023.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Elon Musk says to attempt Starship launch in March". Reuters. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  2. Mike Wall (22 March 2022). "Elon Musk says SpaceX's huge Starship rocket will 'hopefully' launch on 1st orbital flight in May". Space.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  3. Sheetz, Michael (13 June 2022). "FAA requires SpaceX to make environmental adjustments to move forward with its Starship program in Texas". CNBC. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  4. "SpaceX may send Starship on its first orbital flight in December". Engadget. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. "Starship". SpaceX. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  6. Roulette, Joey (11 February 2022). "What Is Starship? SpaceX Builds Its Next-Generation Rocket". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  7. Petrova, Magdalena (13 March 2022). "Why Starship is the holy grail for SpaceX". CNBC. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  8. @elonmusk (2 August 2022). "A *successful* orbital flight is probably between 1 and 12 months from now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. "Starship Orbital - First Flight FCC Exhibit".
  10. "SpaceX wants to attempt Starship booster catch during first orbital launch". 12 July 2022.
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