SpaceX is targeting as early as Sunday, August 24th for the next flight of Starship from Starbase, Texas. SpaceX will be launching Starship for the first time since Starship 36 exploded during static fire testing at Massey’s in June. Starship 37 and Super Heavy Booster 16 will be used for the flight test.
What’s New for Flight 10?
Flight 9 back in May resulted in the loss of both vehicles during the mission. The Super Heavy Booster will conduct different landing burn tests, practicing for both nominal and off-nominal situations. A new landing burn, using only one of the three typically used engines, will test the ability of the vehicle to compensate should an engine lose power. An additional engine will reignite, and the Super Heavy Booster will hover over the Gulf before shutdown. A catch attempt will not be attempted.
Starship itself will be carrying eight Starlink simulators, which are similar in size to the currently launched Starlink satellites. The simulators will follow the same suborbital trajectory and will burn up in the atmosphere during the mission.
As in previous missions, thermal tiles have been intentionally omitted in high-stress areas of the vehicle to test for durability. Additionally, other tile types will be used in select spots, including one with active cooling technology.
Final Launch Checks Underway
Public safety notices continue to be released along the flight path. The FAA has listed temporary flight restrictors (TFRs) around Starbase for the launch, and Mexico has also released warnings for aircraft. Warnings have also popped up for potential debris areas should an anomaly occur.
Starship 37 will be rolled out to the launch pad late this afternoon. A transport delay for Highway 4 is scheduled from 4-10 PM CDT. Super Heavy Booster 16 is ready to meet it on the orbital launch mount.
Final Thoughts
Weather for the launch window has improved over the past several days. Currently, temperatures are slated to be in the upper 80s with partly cloudy skies. A small chance of rain is present.
The 60 minute launch window opens at 6:30 PM CDT. SpaceX will be live-streaming the launch on their X channel.
With SpaceX planning to transition the Starship program to Florida in the coming years, this mission is crucial to Starship’s success and plans for long-term reusability.
