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The Suborbital Test Flight 5 for the Starship is on go! More info about it: Launch Date: October 13, 2024 Launch Time: 7:00 a.m. CDT, 1200 UTC, 14:00 CEST Launch Window: Opens 7:00 a.m. CDT - Closes 9:00 a.m. CDT Launch Status: Mission in Preparation and announced Launch Provider: SpaceX Launcher System: Starship-Super Heavy (Prototype) - (Vehicles: Starship 30 & Booster 12) Flight: Suborbital Test Flight Mission: Starship Test Flight 5 Launch Location: Orbital Launch Pad A (OLP-A), Starbase, Texas, USA The launch window will open as early as 7:00 a.m. CDT, 1200 UTC, and 14:00 CEST. As with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so keep an eye on our schedules and information. Flight 4 was a tremendous success. A fully successful ascent was followed by the first-ever booster soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Starship made it through a brilliant reentry before its own landing burn and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. If you would like to rewind Test Flight 4, you can do it here: The fifth flight test of Starship will aim to take another step towards full and rapid reusability. The primary objectives will be attempting the first-ever return to the launch site and catching the Super Heavy booster and another Starship reentry and landing burn, aiming for an on-target splashdown of Starship in the Indian Ocean. Extensive upgrades have been made to hardware and software across Super Heavy, Starship, and the launch and catch tower infrastructure at Starbase ahead of this flight test. SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only be attempted if conditions are right. Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met before the Super Heavy booster's return and catch attempt, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a manual command from the mission’s Flight Director. If this command is not sent before the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with Super Heavy or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms around the landing zone. Generally, the only impact on those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise with variables like weather and distance from the return site, which determine the magnitude experienced by observers. The starship will fly on a trajectory similar to the previous flight test with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. This flight path does not require a deorbit burn for reentry, maximizing public safety while still providing the opportunity to meet our primary objective of a controlled reentry and soft water landing of Starship. One of the key upgrades on Starship ahead of the flight was a complete rework of its heat shield. SpaceX technicians spent more than 12,000 hours replacing the entire thermal protection system with newer-generation tiles, a backup ablative layer, and additional protections between the flap structures. This massive effort, along with updates to the ship’s operations and software for reentry and landing burn, will look to improve upon the previous flight and bring Starship to a soft splashdown at the target area in the Indian Ocean. System Overview: Height: 120 m / 394 ft Diameter: 9 m / 30 ft Payload to LEO: 100 t / 220 klb Starship Height: 50 m / 164 ft Diameter: 9 m / 30 ft Propellant Capacity: 1200 t / 2.6 Mlb Thrust: 1500 tf / Payload Capacity: 100 -150 t orbit dependent Booster Height: 69 m / 230 ft Booster Diameter: 9 m / 30 ft Propellant Capacity: 3400 t / 6.8 Mlb Thrust: 7590 tf / 17 Mlbf Payload: The Starship payload fairing is 9 m in diameter and 18 m high, resulting in the most significant usable payload volume of any current or in-development launcher. This payload volume can be configured for both crew and cargo. Payload Volume Height: 8 m / 59 ft Payload Fairing Diameter: 9 m / 30 ft Payload Volume: 100 m3 / 38,800 ft3 Useful Mass: 100 t / 220 klb
