SpaceX's Starship rocket launched Friday on a test flight from its Texas launch site, carrying 20 of the company's most advanced Starlink satellites. The 407-foot (124-meter) rocket lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in southern Texas.
This flight is a critical step in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon. The Starship is intended to serve as a lunar lander for moon crews. Elon Musk's SpaceX made adjustments to the rocket after previous test flights encountered engine issues. Six engines on the first-stage booster were replaced following a launch abort the previous week, which was caused by engine ignition problems. The prior flight in May also experienced engine trouble that prevented a controlled return of the booster.
This was the 13th flight overall for Starship and the second this year for the V3 version. As with the previous demonstration, neither the booster nor the spacecraft was designed to be recovered. The booster was expected to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, while the spacecraft was targeted for the Indian Ocean, over 10,000 miles from the launch site. The hourlong flight aimed to test the spacecraft's capabilities for future missions.
The 20 newly deployed Starlinks were tasked with communicating via lasers with existing Starlink satellites already in orbit, extending SpaceX's network, which currently provides internet service to over 10,000 satellites, making it the world's largest satellite constellation. Six of the launched Starlinks were equipped with cameras to capture images of Starship's heat shield during reentry. Sensors on the heat shield were also intended to measure the extreme pressures the spacecraft endures during launch.
To further test the heat shield's durability, some of its thermal tiles were painted white to simulate missing tiles. SpaceX aims to ensure the heat shield can withstand reentry temperatures before attempting to recover the Starship booster at the Starbase launch pad. The company has previously used mechanical arms to catch a Starship booster and plans to adapt this method for the reusable spacecraft.
NASA requires Starship to complete testing and reach orbit to enable Artemis III astronauts to practice docking procedures with the vehicle next year. Starship is also envisioned by Musk as the vehicle for establishing a city on Mars, with tourist trips to the moon and Mars already being booked.
The launch was delayed initially due to a July 16 abort and then again on Thursday by cloud cover from Tropical Storm Bertha.