SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 5

Last updated

Starship IFT-5
NamesIntegrated Flight Test-5
Mission type Flight test
Operator SpaceX
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft Starship Ship 30
Spacecraft type SpaceX Starship
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch dateNET Early August 2024
Rocket SpaceX Super Heavy Booster 12
Launch site Starbase OLM-A
←  IFT-4
IFT-6  →
 

SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 5 (IFT-5) will be the fifth integrated flight test of a prototype Starship launch vehicle. The prototype vehicles planned to be flown are the Ship 30 upper-stage and Booster 12. [1]

Contents

Based on comments from Elon Musk, the fifth flight test is expected no earlier than August 2024. [2] In April 2024, Musk stated that if the B11's 'virtual tower' landing during IFT-4 was successful, flight five may involve a catch of the Super Heavy booster, which he reiterated on 6 June after the conclusion of IFT-4. [3] [4]

Background

Development prior to launch

During a company all-hands in April 2024, Musk expanded briefly on the goals of flight 5, stating that the first tower landing could occur on IFT-5, depending on B11's virtual landing performance during flight 4. [3] In June, Musk stated the heatshield tiles on the flight 5 vehicle will be twice as strong along with a new ablative protection layer underneath. [5] The process of removing the old Thermal Protection System began on 11 June. [6] The FAA confirmed on 12 June that no mishap investigation would be required prior to flight 5 launch. [7] The communications license from the FCC for IFT-5 was applied for with a start date of 19 July. [8] Multiple tests occurred with the hydraulic arms on the launch tower in preparation for the booster catch. [9]

Vehicle testing ahead of launch

Design revisions on Ship 30 include a new vent on the liquid methane tank and another vent with a new valve design on the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank. [10] Two arrays of small radio antennas were redesigned and relocated near the payload bay instead of the ship's nosecone, with one array concealed beneath the ship's heat shield. [11]

Static fire testing of Ship 30 occurred in early May in preparation for flight 5. [12] This was the last static fire conducted at the now-demolished Suborbital Pad B, [13] as future tests will use the static fire stand at Massey's Test Site. [14] Booster 12 moved to the pad on July 9th. [15] The booster performed a spin prime test on July 12th; it was the first time a spin prime test was performed since Booster 9 in August of 2023. [16] A static fire of Booster 12 was completed on July 15th. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon 9</span> Orbital launch vehicle by SpaceX

Falcon 9 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on 4 June 2010. The first Falcon 9 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 8 October 2012. In 2020 it became the first commercial rocket to launch humans to orbit. In 2022, it became the U.S. rocket with the most launches in history and with a near perfect safety record, having suffered two flight failures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Launch vehicle system tests</span> Preparation procedures for verifying carrier rocket performance

Launch vehicle system tests assess the readiness of a launch system to safely reach orbit. Launch vehicles undergo system tests before they launch. Wet dress rehearsals (WDR) and more extensive static fire tests prepare fully assembled launch vehicles and their associated ground support equipment (GSE) prior to launch. The spacecraft/payload may or may not be attached to the launch vehicle during the WDR or static fire, but sufficient elements of the rocket and all relevant ground support equipment are in place to help verify that the rocket is ready for flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX reusable launch system development program</span> Effort by SpaceX to make rockets that can fly multiple times

SpaceX has privately funded the development of orbital launch systems that can be reused many times, similar to the reusability of aircraft. SpaceX has developed technologies over the last decade to facilitate full and rapid reuse of space launch vehicles. The project's long-term objectives include returning a launch vehicle first stage to the launch site within minutes and to return a second stage to the launch pad, following orbital realignment with the launch site and atmospheric reentry in up to 24 hours. SpaceX's long term goal would have been reusability of both stages of their orbital launch vehicle, and the first stage would be designed to allow reuse a few hours after return. Development of reusable second stages for Falcon 9 was later abandoned in favor of developing Starship, however, SpaceX developed reusable payload fairings for the Falcon 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Starbase</span> SpaceX private launch site

Starbase is an industrial complex for Starship rockets, located near Brownsville, Texas, United States. It has been under construction since the late 2010s by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. Starbase is composed of a spaceport near the Gulf of Mexico, a production facility at the Boca Chica village, and a small structure test site along the Texas State Highway 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests</span> Proofs of the SpaceX boosters reusability

The Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests were a series of controlled-descent flight tests conducted by SpaceX between 2013 and 2016. Since 2017, the first stage of Falcon 9 missions has been routinely landed if the rocket performance allowed it, and if SpaceX chose to recover the stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon Heavy test flight</span> First successful launch attempt of Falcon Heavy rocket

The Falcon Heavy test flight was the first attempt by SpaceX to launch a Falcon Heavy rocket on February 6, 2018, at 20:45 UTC. The successful test introduced the Falcon Heavy as the most powerful rocket in operation at the time, producing five million pounds-force (22 MN) of thrust and having more than twice the payload capacity of the next most powerful rocket, United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Starship</span> Reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle

Starship is a two-stage fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by SpaceX. As of July 2024, it is the most massive and powerful vehicle ever to fly. SpaceX has developed Starship with the intention of lowering launch costs using economies of scale. SpaceX aims to achieve this by reusing both rocket stages, increasing payload mass to orbit, increasing launch frequency, creating a mass-manufacturing pipeline and adapting it to a wide range of space missions. Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's reusable launch system development program and plan to colonize Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon 9 Block 5</span> Fifth version of the SpaceX medium-lift launch vehicle

Falcon 9 Block 5 is a partially reusable, human-rated, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. It is the fifth major version of the Falcon 9 family and the third version of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust. It is powered by Merlin 1D engines burning rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Starship flight tests</span> In flight hardware tests of SpaceXs fully reusable superheavy-lift vehicle

SpaceX Starship flight tests include fifteen launches to date of prototype rockets during 2019–2024 for the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle development program. Eleven test flights were of single-stage Starship spacecraft flying low-altitude tests (2019–2021), while four were orbital trajectory flights of the entire Starship launch vehicle (2023–2024), consisting of a Starship spacecraft second-stage prototype atop a Super Heavy first-stage booster prototype. None of the flights to date has carried an operational payload. Additional flight tests are planned in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Raptor</span> SpaceX family of liquid-fuel rocket engines

Raptor is a family of rocket engines developed and manufactured by SpaceX. A notable trait of this engine family is the use of a full-flow staged combustion cycle (FFSC). They are powered by cryogenic liquid methane and liquid oxygen, a mixture known as methalox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starship HLS</span> Lunar lander variant of SpaceX Starship

Starship HLS is a lunar lander variant of the Starship spacecraft that is slated to transfer astronauts from a lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back. It is being designed and built by SpaceX under the Human Landing System contract to NASA as a critical element of NASA's Artemis program to land a crew on the Moon.

Boca Chica is an area on the eastern portion of a subdelta peninsula of Cameron County, at the far south of the US State of Texas along the Gulf Coast. It is bordered by the Brownsville Ship Channel to the north, the Rio Grande and Mexico to the south, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. The area extends about 25 miles (40 km) east of the city of Brownsville. The peninsula is served by Texas State Highway 4—also known as the Boca Chica Highway, or Boca Chica Boulevard within Brownsville city limits—which runs east–west, terminating at the Gulf and Boca Chica Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 1</span> First integrated test launch of SpaceX Starship

SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 1 (IFT-1) was the first integrated flight test of the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. SpaceX performed the flight test on April 20, 2023. The prototype vehicle was destroyed less than four minutes after lifting off from the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The vehicle became the most powerful rocket ever flown, breaking the half-century-old record held by the Soviet Union's N1 rocket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Super Heavy</span> Reusable first stage developed by SpaceX

Super Heavy is the first stage of the SpaceX Starship super heavy-lift launch vehicle, which it composes in combination with the Starship second-stage. As of 2024, Super Heavy prototypes are being flight tested. Super Heavy flew for the first time on April 20, 2023, during the first orbital launch attempt of the Starship rocket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Starship (spacecraft)</span> Reusable spacecraft under development by SpaceX

Starship is a spacecraft and second stage under development by American aerospace company SpaceX. Stacked atop its booster, Super Heavy, it composes the similarly named Starship super heavy-lift space vehicle. The spacecraft is designed to transport both crew and cargo to a variety of destinations, including Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. It is intended to enable long duration interplanetary flights for a crew of up to 100 people. It will also be capable of point-to-point transport on Earth, enabling travel to anywhere in the world in less than an hour. Furthermore, the spacecraft will be used to refuel other Starship vehicles to allow them to reach higher orbits and other space destinations. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, estimated in a tweet that 8 launches would be needed to completely refuel a Starship in low Earth orbit, extrapolating this from Starship's payload to orbit and how much fuel a fully fueled Starship contains. To land on bodies without an atmosphere, such as the Moon, Starship will fire its engines and thrusters to slow down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 2</span> Second launch of SpaceX Starship

SpaceX Starship Integrated Flight Test 2 (IFT-2) was the second integrated flight test of SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. SpaceX performed the flight test on November 18, 2023. The mission's primary objectives were for the vehicle to hot stage—a new addition to Starship's flight profile—followed by the second stage attaining a near-orbital trajectory with a controlled reentry over the Pacific Ocean, while the booster does a boostback burn with a propulsive splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 3</span> Third launch of SpaceX Starship

SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 3 (IFT-3) was the third integrated flight test of the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. SpaceX performed the flight test on March 14, 2024.

The SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 4 (IFT-4) was the fourth integrated flight test of a prototype Starship launch vehicle, the world's most powerful rocket. The prototype vehicles flown were the Starship Ship 29 upper-stage and Super Heavy Booster 11. SpaceX performed the flight test on June 6, 2024.

SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 6 (IFT-6) will be the sixth integrated flight test of a prototype Starship launch vehicle. According to NASASpaceflight, the prototype vehicles expected to be flown are the Ship 31 upper-stage and Booster 13.

References

  1. ↑ NASASpaceflight (8 May 2024). SpaceX Static Fires Ship 30 in Preparation for the Fifth Starship Flight . Retrieved 20 May 2024– via YouTube.
  2. ↑ @elonmusk (6 July 2024). "Flight 5 in 4 weeks" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 July 2024– via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 Bergin, Chris [@nasaspaceflight] (6 April 2024). "Some interesting notes" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 April 2024– via Twitter.
  4. ↑ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. ↑ NASASpaceflight (10 June 2024). Looking Ahead To The Next Starship Flight ALREADY | Starbase Update . Retrieved 10 June 2024– via YouTube.
  6. ↑ "The removal of all of Starship 30's heatshield tiles has begun". X (formerly Twitter). 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Merritt, Sawyer (12 June 2024). "NEWS: I emailed the FAA". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  8. ↑ "OET Special Temporary Authority Report". apps.fcc.gov. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  9. ↑ NASASpaceflight (1 July 2024). SpaceX Gears Up for First Super Heavy Booster Catch! 🚀 | Starbase Update . Retrieved 7 July 2024– via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Jax (1 May 2024). "Moving into the Thirties: What's New on Starship 30?". Ringwatchers. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  11. ↑ "Moving into the Thirties: What's New on Starship 30?". Ringwatchers. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  12. ↑ Ali, Iqtidar (9 May 2024). "SpaceX readies Flight 5 Starship with a static fire test ahead of Flight 4, Starbase updates". Tesla Oracle. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  13. ↑ NASASpaceflight (12 May 2024). Booster 11 Lifted Onto the OLM for Pre-Launch Testing | SpaceX Boca Chica . Retrieved 5 June 2024– via YouTube.
  14. ↑ NASASpaceflight (3 June 2024). It's Launch Week! (BONUS: Ship 26 Static Fire @ Masseys) - Countdown to Launch . Retrieved 5 June 2024– via YouTube.
  15. ↑ NASASpaceflight (9 July 2024). SpaceX Rolls out Potential First Catch Booster - B12 . Retrieved 9 July 2024– via YouTube.
  16. ↑ NASASpaceflight (14 July 2024). Booster 12 Conducts First Super Heavy Spin Prime Since Booster 9 | SpaceX Boca Chica . Retrieved 14 July 2024– via YouTube.
  17. ↑ NASASpaceflight (15 July 2024). SpaceX Static Fires Booster 12 for Fifth Starship Flight Test . Retrieved 15 July 2024– via YouTube.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.