Starship set for anniversary flight as SpaceX eyes Moon mission
Photo: SpaceX announced the anniversary launch of the heavy rocket Starship (Getty Images)
SpaceX has announced the tenth launch of the super-heavy rocket Starship, which is preliminarily scheduled for August 24, according to Space.com.
It is known that the launch will take place from the Starbase site in Texas, USA, marking an important stage in preparation for future NASA missions to the Moon.
What's known about the launch
According to the company, it concerns the tenth flight of the Starship rocket, which includes the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage spacecraft. This flight will already be the fourth in 2025.
It holds special significance for the implementation of the Artemis 3 program, within which NASA plans to land astronauts on the Moon's surface in 2027. Within the framework of its mission, SpaceX will test several critical technologies, including stage separation in space, re-ignition of the Raptor engine, and controlled splashdown.
What's known about the rocket
In the Flight 10 mission, the booster rocket Booster 16 and the spacecraft Ship 37 will be involved, both from the new Block 2 series. According to the plan, the spacecraft is scheduled to perform a splashdown in the Indian Ocean, while the booster is to land in the Gulf of Mexico.
Additionally, during the flight, SpaceX plans to launch eight Starlink satellite simulators into space. Interestingly, initially, another spacecraft – Ship 36 – was planned for this launch. However, it was destroyed during an explosion at the test stand on June 18.
As a result of the incident, infrastructure at Starbase was also damaged. The investigation has already been completed, and Elon Musk’s company plans to demonstrate the increased reliability of the new solutions.
If the launch succeeds, it will mark another step toward certifying Starship as the primary transport system for future manned missions to the Moon, and later, to Mars.
Development of Starship
Starship is a reusable space launch system being developed by the American company SpaceX for transporting people to Mars and returning them to Earth.
The first stage of the rocket is called Super Heavy. It is designed to bring the second stage, which also serves as a spacecraft with the same name as the rocket – Starship- to orbit.
The latter will be produced in several versions: passenger, cargo, or tanker for space refueling. Both stages will operate with Raptor engines and return to the launch and landing site. After refueling, Starship will again be ready for flight.
SpaceX prepares for flight to Mars
Earlier, billionaire Elon Musk announced that the Starship rocket will go to Mars at the end of next year. In the case that the mission is successful, the first landings of people on the red planet may take place in a few years.
He added that further missions to Mars and the successful landing of robots will be important stages in preparing for the landing of people.
