SpaceX has confirmed a brand new goal date for the seventh Starship check launch after climate in Texas delayed the primary scheduled date for “three or 4 days.”
The corporate is now focusing on the launch for Monday, January 13, at 4 p.m. CST or 5 p.m. EST. The launch date isn’t set in stone as any number of delays might affect this, however SpaceX hopes to lastly take off after a delay that pushed it again from January 10.
🚨 STARSHIP LAUNCH DATE: @SpaceX says Starship’s seventh check flight is now focused for Monday, January 13 at 4pm CST
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 8, 2025
What’s new with this Starship launch
With this being the seventh check launch of Starship, there are a number of issues that the corporate will change and hope to perform. All of those launches are performed in preparation for finally withdrawing to Mars, one thing that can occur subsequent yr, in keeping with CEO Elon Musk.
First, SpaceX is rolling out a next-generation ship with “vital upgrades.” Ahead flaps have been made smaller and are repositioned away from the warmth defend, which can “scale back their publicity to reentry heating.”
SpaceX eyes 25 annual Starship launches beginning subsequent yr
There’s additionally a 25 p.c enhance in propellant quantity, a brand new gas feedline system for the Raptor vacuum engines, and a better-than-ever propulsion avionics module that can management the valves and studying sensors.
Avionics, as an entire, underwent a redesign and now have extra functionality and redundancy for missions as they turn out to be extra advanced.
Starlink check
SpaceX can be planning to deploy 10 Starlink simulators which can be comparable in dimension and weight to the next-generation Starlink satellites:
“Whereas in area, Starship will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, comparable in dimension and weight to next-generation Starlink satellites as the primary train of a satellite tv for pc deploy mission. The Starlink simulators shall be on the identical suborbital trajectory as Starship, with splashdown focused within the Indian Ocean. A relight of a single Raptor engine whereas in area can be deliberate.”
Ship return and catch
There shall be a number of experiments that need to do with returning Starship and varied catch situations and sequences. Certainly one of which can see “a big variety of tiles be eliminated to stress-test weak areas throughout the automobile.”
The ship’s reentry profile was additionally deliberately designed to check the structural limits of the flaps whereas on the level of most dynamic strain throughout reentry.
At present, SpaceX didn’t element whether or not it will try one other catch throughout this check launch. These are normally game-time choices.
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