Tag: Starbase
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Starship brought the thunder as it climbed into space for the first time
BOCA CHICA BEACH, Texas—SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket reached space for the first time Saturday, flying straight and true for more than eight minutes before exploding nearly 100 miles over the Gulf of Mexico downrange from the company’s South Texas launch base. With this test flight, SpaceX made important steps forward with Starship, the largest rocket ever…
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Five things to watch for when Starship takes off Saturday morning
SpaceX fans turned out at Starbase, the company’s sprawling test facility in South Texas, on the eve of the second full-scale test flight of the Starship rocket. Stephen Clark/Ars Technica SpaceX fans turned out at Starbase, the company’s sprawling test facility in South Texas, on the eve of the second full-scale test flight of…
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After upgrades, Starship achieves numerous successes during second test flight
With the Federal Aviation Administration and US Fish and Wildlife Service approving the final signoff and license and SpaceX saying the rocket is ready, Starship set sail from Starbase on its second test flight Saturday. Liftoff at the first attempt followed only a one day slip to fix an issue with Booster 9’s grid fin…
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SpaceX receives launch license for second integrated flight test of Starship
SpaceX has received the modified license No. VOL 23-129 Rev. 1, which will allow them to fly its Starship-Super Heavy vehicle for the second time. This came shortly after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) confirmed the completion of their investigation into the new deluge system at the orbital launch site in Starbase. FWS…
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If the next Starship makes it through staging, you can call that a win
SpaceX will have answers to some burning questions in the first three minutes of the next Starship test flight. Did the upgrades to the Starship launch pad in Texas hold up to the rocket’s powerful thrust? Are the rocket’s Raptor engines more reliable than they were on the first Starship test flight in April? And…
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Second flight of Starship closing in on potential November launch
The flight of Booster 9 and Ship 25 is now in the final stage of preparations, focused on regulatory approval that will allow SpaceX to set a launch date. That target is currently tracking mid-November as the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) works on the final element of the FAA’s launch license via an updated…
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SpaceX gearing up for a possible WDR as it waits for regulatory approval
While Ship 26 started its engine testing campaign, SpaceX looks to be gearing up for a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for Booster 9 and Ship 25. Related notices have been posted for the coming week, as SpaceX returned to a full stack for the next Starship to launch – as soon as November, pending regulatory…
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SpaceX waiting for FAA to approve launch licence for Starship’s second flight
With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) having closed the mishap investigation into the anomaly during the first Integrated Flight Test of Starship, SpaceX is waiting for its launch license for the second test flight of the world’s most powerful rocket. However, that FAA process is clearly going to take the test launch into next month…
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FAA says SpaceX has more to do before Starship can fly again
Sunday update: Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, posted Sunday on his social media platform X that the company has completed 57 corrective actions required before the second integrated test flight of the Starship rocket. Six more corrective actions will be implemented before future missions. This story has been updated to add Musk’s statement. The Federal…
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SpaceX stacks Ship 25 and Booster 9, prepares for flight
SpaceX has rolled out Ship 25 to the launch site and stacked it on top of Super Heavy Booster 9, bringing back a fully stacked Starship rocket to Starbase since April 20. Several important additions have been made to Ship 25 ahead of this stacking and should make the vehicle ready for flight. SpaceX now…