SpaceX Successfully Completes Starship’s 6th Test Flight

SpaceX Successfully Completes Starship’s 6th Test Flight

SpaceX's IFT-6 Test Flight launches from Starbase in Boca Chica, TX on November 19, 2024. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
SpaceX’s IFT-6 Test Flight launches from Starbase in Boca Chica, TX on November 19, 2024. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

SpaceX conducted its sixth test flight of the Starship rocket yesterday, successfully completing another flight in the company’s efforts to develop a fully reusable spacecraft for missions to the Moon and Mars. The launch came on time at 4:00 p.m. CST from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas after a flawless countdown.

From Liftoff to Relight: IFT-6 Pushes Starship Closer to Orbit

From Liftoff to Relight: IFT-6 Pushes Starship Closer to Orbit

IFT-6 (Starship 31 and Super Heavy Booster 13) successfully lifted off from Boca Chica Beach Tuesday afternoon at 4pm CT. Image taken from Port Isabel, Tx. Image by Richard P Gallagher

On November 19, 2024, SpaceX conducted its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The mission aimed to further validate the vehicle’s capabilities, building upon the achievements of previous tests. 

Why Is There a Banana on Starship 31 Being Used for IFT-6?

Why Is There a Banana on Starship 31 Being Used for IFT-6?

SpaceX is preparing for its sixth integrated flight test (IFT-6) of the Starship launch system, scheduled for November 19, 2024, at 4:00 PM CST from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Starship’s Close Call Revealed in Accidental Broadcast  

Starship’s Close Call Revealed in Accidental Broadcast  

Starship Super Heavy Booster 12 returning to the launch tower completing the first ever mid-air catch. Image by Richard P Gallagher / FMN
Starship Super Heavy Booster 12 returning to the launch tower completing the first ever mid-air catch. Image by Richard P Gallagher / FMN

In an unexpected revelation, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk recently offered a glimpse into the challenges of Starship development during a live-streamed gaming session. While playing Diablo IV, Musk inadvertently broadcast a private conversation with SpaceX engineers highlighting how close the company’s Starship Super Heavy booster came to aborting a planned landing attempt on its most recent flight. 

Chasing History: A Photographer’s Cross-Country Quest to Document SpaceX’s First Booster Catch

Chasing History: A Photographer’s Cross-Country Quest to Document SpaceX’s First Booster Catch

For Richard Gallagher, a tenacious photographer from Merritt Island, Florida, the pursuit of documenting rocket launches has always been more than just a hobby—it’s a calling. So, when SpaceX announced that their fifth integrated test flight (IFT-5) would attempt the first-ever catch of the Super Heavy Booster, Richard knew this was a moment in history he had to capture. The only problem? The launch site was nearly 1400 miles away, and the drive there would be anything but easy. 

IFT-5: Super Booster, Mega Sonic Boom

A SpaceX Starship powered by a Super Heavy Booster rises out of the early morning fog during the IFT-2 launch on 11-18-2023 to the astonishment of spectator at Isla Blanca Park. Image by Richard P Gallagher

 SpaceX’s Starship Integrated Flight Test 5 (IFT-5) is poised to be one of the most ambitious tests in the company’s history. With major technical upgrades and a first of its kind booster catch attempt, SpaceX aims to further demonstrate the capabilities of its fully reusable mega rocket system. If successful, will the sonic boom produced by the Super Heavy booster equal a super sonic boom?  This article will explore what affects the loudness of a sonic bomb and more!

Elon Musk Deep Fake Hits The Internet During Starship Launch

Elon Musk Deep Fake Hits The Internet During Starship Launch

A deepfake broadcast of Elon Musk hawking cryptocoins was broadcast by multiple Youtube streams as part of this morning’s launch coverage. The streams have since been removed. Photo: Youtube

If you were watching SpaceX’s live launch coverage of the Starship launch this morning on any one of a several dozen Youtube Channels, you may have gotten a big surprise. The channels, which appeared high in Youtube’s rankings, carried SpaceX’s legitimate broadcast down to just a few minutes before launch when they smoothly transitioned to a video of Elon Musk, presumably at Starbase.

Starship IFT-4 A Big Success

Starship IFT-4 A Big Success

IFT-4 climbs through a layer of fog and haze just after leaving the pad at Starbase this morning. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN
IFT-4 climbs through a layer of fog and haze just after leaving the pad at Starbase this morning. Photo: Richard Gallagher/FMN

SpaceX’s Starship rocket embarked on a successful test flight from Texas on Thursday, launching at about 8:50 a.m. EDT from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. This fourth test flight saw the world’s largest and most powerful rocket—standing nearly 400 feet tall—take off without any crew onboard, aiming for a journey across the Gulf of Mexico and eastward to the Indian Ocean for a planned hour-long flight.