SpaceX ’s Starship space vehicle separates from the first - stage Super Heavy rocket in the fomite ’s 2nd incorporate test flight of steps in November 2023.SpaceX
SpaceX boss Elon Musk has said the mighty Starship rocket could take its 4th test flight as too soon as June .
reply to an inquiry on X ( formerly Twitter ) asking about plans for the next launching of the public ’s most sinewy rocket engine , Musk said : “ Probably 3 to 5 calendar week . ”
SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft separates from the first-stage Super Heavy rocket in the vehicle’s second integrated test flight in November 2023.SpaceX
The 120 - meter - tall ( 395 feet ) Starship — be the first - degree Super Heavy booster and upper - microscope stage Starship space vehicle — has fly three times to date , with all of the mission launching from SpaceX ’s Starbase readiness in Boca Chica , Texas . The first test flight took place in April of last year and lasted only a few minutes before the rocket exploded . The second flight , in November , endure a similar fate , while the most recent endeavor two months ago lasted just over 49 minutes and accomplish many of the commission finish , name it easily the most successful Starship trajectory to day of the month . Musk has order before how he wants to increase the flight of stairs relative frequency of the Starship , and a flight in June would indicate that procession is being made toward this destination .
But while the SpaceX team may be almost ready for the quaternary flight — also from Starbase — the company is still await for a launching permit from the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) , which will only be give once means officials have complete their investigation into the third flight in March .
When it ’s in full tested , SpaceX desire to apply the spaceship to carry crew and cargo to the moonshine as part of NASA ’s Artemis programme . The space means has already inked a deal with SpaceX to apply amodified version of the Starship spacecraftto landed estate the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface in the Artemis III commission , currently determine for 2026 . Musk has also talked much about how the Starship could be used to channel the first humans to Mars , though such a mission wo n’t happen until the 2030s at the early .
In related news , the FAA said recently that it will becarrying out an environmental reviewfor proposed Starship launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to examine any potential harm that the rocket might stimulate in or around the Space Coast facility . Kennedy would give SpaceX a second location for Starship launches alongside Boca Chica , relieving some of the pressure on the Texas adroitness .
