The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles.
The upcoming mission will look for a late-afternoon launch window, allowing the vehicle to reenter during daylight into the Indian Ocean.
Reaching a near-monthly cadence of Starship flights during only the second year of the vehicle's operation is impressive, but it's essential if SpaceX wants to unlock the full potential of a rocket.
This will be the last flight of the initial version of the Starship vehicle, with the next generation including redesigned flaps and newer thermal protection layers.
Collection
[
|
...
]