SpaceX has scheduled the tenth integrated test flight of its Starship-Super Heavy system for 24 August, after U.S. regulators closed investigations into two recent mishaps and accepted the company’s proposed design changes. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed earlier this week that the company may proceed once final pre-launch checks are complete. Lift-off of Super Heavy Booster 16 and Starship Ship 37 is slated for 6:30 p.m. Central Time from the Starbase complex in Boca Chica, Texas. Once the two-stage vehicle reaches space, Starship will open its cargo-bay door, release eight Starlink satellite mass simulators, reignite a Raptor engine in vacuum and attempt a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The booster will conduct separate flight-profile experiments before targeting a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The flight follows a series of setbacks. Flight 9 on 27 May ended when a methane leak caused the upper stage to break apart about 45 minutes after launch, while Ship 36—originally assigned to Flight 10—was destroyed during a static-fire accident on 18 June. SpaceX says it has redesigned affected diffusers, reinforced pressurization hardware and tightened inspection protocols. Flight 10 will be the company’s fourth Starship launch of 2025 and a key milestone toward certifying the vehicle as NASA’s lunar lander for the Artemis 3 mission, targeted for 2027. SpaceX plans at least one more flight with the current design before debuting a next-generation Starship later this year.
I faintly remember seeing a similar post for Booster 7 two years ago and asking in the replies, 'What does the FTS do?' My friend, who now works at SpaceX, replied that it's to destroy Starship if it goes off-course. Good old times :-) https://t.co/sM0c6WswSR
I faintly remember seeing a similar post for Booster 7 two years ago and asking in the replies, 'What does FTS do?' Good old times :-) https://t.co/sM0c6WswSR
Booster 16 just got its flight termination system for Starship Flight X. Launch NET August 24. https://t.co/WMIusxEPln https://t.co/sM0c6WswSR