SpaceX already has permission to test the Starship again: What do we know about the ship that will take us to Mars?

SpaceX has taken a big step towards the seventh test flight of its massive Starship rocket after receiving authorization this week from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The granting of the launch license by the FAA follows recent tests conducted by SpaceX on the engines of the Super Heavy rocket’s first stage and the upper stage of the Starship spacecraft. The next step will be to place the spacecraft on the Super Heavy to prepare for the launch from SpaceX’s starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Everything that […]

SpaceX has taken a big step towards the seventh test flight of its massive Starship rocket after receiving authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week.

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The granting of the launch license by the FAA follows recent tests conducted by SpaceX of the engines of the first stage of the Super Heavy rocket and the upper stage of the Starship spacecraft.

The next step will be to place the spacecraft on the Super Heavy to prepare for the launch from SpaceX’s starbase in Boca Chica (Texas).

Everything SpaceX Expects from its Starship in 2025

The spaceflight company led by Elon Musk has not yet officially announced a launch date for the seventh test flight of the Starship.

But now that SpaceX has secured the launch license for the seventh flight, there is a possibility that it will send the 120-meter-tall rocket to the sky sooner than expected.

In the seventh flight, the first Starship Block 2 will be used, featuring updated fin designs and capable of carrying more propellant. The mission profile is similar to previous tests but includes improvements based on lessons learned from earlier test flights.

As in the fourth, fifth, and sixth test flights of the Starship, the spacecraft is expected to perform a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean approximately one hour after launch.

We should also see another attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster returning using a pair of giant mechanical arms on the launch tower. SpaceX achieved the spectacular feat on its first attempt in the fifth Starship test in October, but failed in the next test last month.

Once tested and certified, NASA and SpaceX want to use the Starship to transport crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars and possibly to even more distant places in our solar system.

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The first major mission of the Starship is expected to use a modified version of the spacecraft to land the first NASA astronauts on the moon since 1972. However, the mission, Artemis III, has experienced several delays and is currently scheduled for 2027.

Author: Chema Carvajal Sarabia

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