SpaceX has an aggressive plan for Starship in 2024, planning to launch the rocket at least nine times this year, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator.
Starship is the most powerful and the largest heavy-lift launch vehicle ever built, and it will eventually be responsible for taking people from Earth to Mars, according to SpaceX’s goals for the project.
However, SpaceX has a long way to go before it will get Starship to that point.
In the way of test flights, SpaceX is reportedly looking for a busy year in 2024 and intends to launch it at least nine times, according to Commercial Space Transportation Administrator for the FAA, Kelvin Coleman.
“They’re looking at a pretty aggressive launch schedule this year. They’re looking at, I believe, at least nine launches this year. That’s a lot of launches,” Coleman said regarding SpaceX’s plans for Starship. If you’re doing modifications and doing them one by one, that’s a lot of work. We’ve been talking to SpaceX constantly around the clock, coming together and trying to figure out how do we do this. We’re invested with the company, and so we’ll work with them to get them back going as soon as they can.”
Ars Technica reported the plans.
After launching and attempting a landing of the reusable rocket roughly five years back, SpaceX was subjected to an enhanced environmental review that resulted in a limited launch schedule of just five attempts per year.
SpaceX wants that to be changed.
Starship’s first Integrated Test Flight, or IFT, was back in April 2023, with what was considered a successful test launch before the rocket suffered a “rapid and unscheduled disassembly” as it exploded before stage separation.
A second Integrated Flight Test (IFT-2) of Starship took place in November.
Now, Musk and SpaceX are planning for a third test flight sometime in mid-March, which would give Starship roughly one launch per month from then until the end of 2024.
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