Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
A Starship upper stage performs a static fire test ahead of the vehicle's planned test flight, which will be the fourth for the Starship program. This image is a screenshot from a video that SpaceX posted on X on March 25, 2024.Static fires, in which engines are briefly lit while a vehicle remains anchored to the pad, are common prelaunch tests.
For example, both stages aced their ascent burns, and Super Heavy conducted a successful"boostback" burn to get in position for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The booster's landing burn didn't go according to plan, however, and it ended up breaking apart about 1,650 feet above the waves.
Ship flew for about 50 minutes and notched a number of milestones, including successfully opening and closing its payload door. But the craftStarship's first two test flights, in April 2023 and November 2023, ended after just four minutes and eight minutes, respectively.If you can't see SpaceX's Starship in person, you can score a model of your own. Standing at 13.77 inches , this is a 1:375 ratio of SpaceX's Starship as a desktop model.
But the timing of flights is not entirely up to the company; there are regulatory hurdles to clear as well, chiefly the securing of launch licenses from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is currentlyto keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat.
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