SpaceX is preparing for its most ambitious Starship test flight yet, featuring the new “block 2” version with significant design upgrades.
SpaceX’s next Starship test flight will be the most ambitious to date, and the first involving a new “ block 2 ” version with a host of design updates. Starship is the most powerful rocket ever to fly. SpaceX aims to develop it into a rapidly reusable vehicle that can take large payloads into orbit, land back on Earth and launch another mission within hours.
Somewhat confusingly, Starship is the name given to both the entire spacecraft, consisting of a Super Heavy booster and the ship it launches stacked together, and ship alone once it has detached from the booster. SpaceX has been rapidly iterating both Super Heavy and Starship, taking a Silicon Valley approach to design that sees regular tests and dramatic failures as simply part of the process. But this will be the first test of the so-called block 2 Starship upper stage. It is reported that Starship’s electronics have undergone a “complete redesign” and there are now more than 30 cameras on board. It will also have 25 per cent more propellant, stand 3.1 metres taller and have relocated front flaps. It also includes, for the first time, an early version of the pins necessary for it to be caught by a ground tower and reused. However, SpaceX currently has only one tower, which will be used to catch the booster, so there will be no attempt to catch Starship for reuse this time. A second tower is under construction. SpaceX hopes the upper stage will reach space, complete a partial orbit of Earth, safely re-enter the atmosphere and make a controlled splashdown into the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy first stage should return to the launch site and be caught by the Mechazilla or “chopstick” arms of the launch tower – which will be the first time this has been attempted. The launch marks a milestone for SpaceX as Starship hardware will be reused for the first time. One of the Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines was previously used in Starship’s own test flight. That was the only test to date where the booster was safely returned, so this is the first opportunity the company has had to reuse anything.
Spacex Starship Block 2 Reusable Rocket Space Exploration
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