Elon Musk has set the expectations for SpaceX’s sixth test flight of Starship with four objectives that must be achieved in order for the launch to be considered a success.
The sixth flight of Starship will aim to push the limits of what is thought possible by a rocket of this size, especially as the last test launch ended with a successful catch of the first-stage booster.
It was something nobody had ever seen before:
Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/6R5YatSVJX
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024
While SpaceX plans to catch both the booster and the rocket sometime next year, Musk said that the company aims to improve on the catch of just the first-stage booster with the sixth test flight.
This is just one of the four objectives Musk has in store for the sixth Starship test flight, which is set to occur today.
Musk outlined the four objectives:
- Restart of Raptor engines in vacuum.
- Daylight landing of the ship.
- Higher peak heating (steeper) reentry
- Faster/harder booster catch.
The SpaceX and Tesla frontman also said Starship equips “thousands of small design changes” that are also being tested.
Perhaps the most notable of the four objectives is the fourth, as it will be a good transition to eventually catching both the booster and the rocket.
The entire idea behind the Starship program is to create rockets that are totally reusable, something that will come with time but is not quite available as an option for SpaceX currently.
Based on what happened with the last launch and catch, SpaceX could be well on its way to making a catch of the rocket and booster a reality.
Liftoff is currently targeted for 4:00 p.m. CT or 5:00 p.m. on the East Coast.
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