SpaceX’s fifth flight test of a complete Starship was a resounding success. After watching that launch, it is hard not to be inspired by what is coming for SpaceX and humanity.
During IFT-5, SpaceX successfully performed a return to launch site of their Super Heavy booster. The booster was “caught” out of the air from a controlled free fall using “chopsticks” mounted on the launch pad the vehicle had taken off from only six minutes prior. Starship itself also successfully completed a soft touchdown in the Indian Ocean as intended.
Gateway to Mars
Ground broke in 2015 on SpaceX’s exclusive south Texas launch site, known as Starbase. Originally designed to facilitate additional Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy Launches. The site was intended to support roughly 12 commercial launches annually. Plans for the commercial spaceport were soon transformed into designs for a rocket testing facility to support SpaceX’s Starship program. Since induction, Starship’s goal has been to bring humanity to Mars and even beyond.
If you visited Starbase in the early days, you probably wouldn’t have seen much. Starbase sits along Highway 4, which dumps into Boca Chica Beach and the Gulf of Mexico. Starbase began as a few large canopies and small buildings.
Today, Starbase has one launch pad, with a second tower and pad in development. SpaceX has multiple high bays for building their vehicles and is currently developing Starfactory, which CEO Elon Musk is hoping will produce 1 Starship a day. SpaceX also uses a nearby facility, nicknamed Massey’s, for the purpose of conducting engine testings. Starbase also has employee housing onsite, with more currently being built.
Starship Throughout the Years
Starship has come a long way since its inception. During early testing, Starship was but the Starship and did not have a booster.
Before Starship was Starhopper, a significantly smaller prototype vehicle. SpaceX used Starhopper to test the vehicle’s engines with landing on two test hops. Starhopper has since been retired, and still resides near Highway 4 at the entrance to the launch site.
The Starship design we know today was first tested in 2019. Throughout the dozens of tests, many of these vehicles were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, resulting in many being scraped. Ship SN8’s forward flap was donated to nearby Brownsville International Airport and can be viewed at the airport’s entrance.
Starship’s first integrated test flight (booster and ship) was on April 20th, 2023. The launch resulted in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” (total loss of vehicle). Since then, SpaceX has conducted five total integrated flight tests, with each testing new designs and flight hardware.
So… What’s Next for Starship?
Starship has achieved a lot during its 5 most recent flights over the past 18 months. Although Starship has the ultimate goal of landing humans on the Moon and Mars, quite a bit still has to be completed before that can happen. The next time Mars and Earth line up for a shorter travel distance is 2026, and SpaceX hopes to complete an uncrewed mission to the red planet that year. SpaceX also aims to complete a lunar mission that same year. Shortly thereafter, SpaceX hopes to attempt a crewed mission to Mars in 2028. This is, of course, pending how testing progresses.
SpaceX is licensed by the FAA to perform flight 6 if it follows a similar flight plan as IFT-5. With so much going on at Starbase, the FAA requires input from various other agencies that monitor SpaceX’s launch and testing operations. This, very broadly, can lead to delays in SpaceX’s launch and development cadence.
SpaceX has not officially announced what it plans for IFT-6. SpaceX is developing a “satellite dispenser” that can be used on Starship to place satellites into orbit. SpaceX estimates that Starship can launch up to 100 Starlink satellites at once. Falcon 9, SpaceX’s current workhorse, typically launches around 20 each mission (with the current Starlink satellite version).
SpaceX is not afraid to take risks and push the envelope. The company says it’s how they learn what works and what doesn’t and that they take the test information and use it to inform the next iteration in the development of their system.
SpaceX is developing different variants of Starship, including versions for crew and cargo. A “tanker,” which would be a modified Starship that carries fuel to orbit, is proposed as well. The “tanker” Starship would dock with another Starship in orbit and complete a fuel transfer, allowing missions to progress further into space. A propellant transfer demonstration is planned for a future mission. SpaceX also plans to recover Starship in the same landing fashion that they recovered their booster on Monday.
SpaceX is also working in Florida to prepare their leased pad LC-39A (and other potential sites) for Starship launch capabilities. These are all in the early stages of approval, and many agencies and individuals oppose such locations.
Taking It All In
Even if you are not interested in spaceflight, it is hard not to be amazed at the progress in South Texas. We live in an era where new rocket technology is constantly being developed, and soon Starship will have competition from other launch providers. Space travel soon may not be uncommon for the average person.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Starbase or see a Starship take flight, it is well worth the excursion. Excitement is guaranteed.
