{"id":10258,"date":"2023-11-04T17:35:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-04T09:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-poised-for-mid-november-launch-of-second-starship-test-flight\/"},"modified":"2023-11-04T17:35:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T09:35:03","slug":"spacex-poised-for-mid-november-launch-of-second-starship-test-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-poised-for-mid-november-launch-of-second-starship-test-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX poised for \u2018mid-November\u2019 launch of second Starship test flight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aerial view of the fully stacked Starship vehicle at Starbase, Texas, on Sept. 6, 2023. Image: SpaceX.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than half a year after its first flight, SpaceX believes it\u2019s on the cusp of getting to launch its Starship rocket for a second time.<\/p>\n

On Friday afternoon, the company updated its website to announce that the second integrated flight test (IFT-2) of it\u2019s towering rocket \u201ccould launch as soon as mid-November, pending regulatory approval.\u201d Sources suggest the launch could be as soon as Nov. 13, but that\u2019s far from set in stone.<\/p>\n

Those regulatory hurdles surrounding the fully reusable launch vehicle are now mainly centered around the conclusion of an environmental review, which is in the hands of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it had concluded the Starship-Super Heavy safety review. In a statement to Spaceflight Now, the agency said that \u201cThe environmental review is the last major element to complete before the FAA makes a license determination.\u201d<\/p>\n

SpaceX will debut a number of upgrades to both the rocket itself as well as the launch infrastructure, including their new hot-stage separation system and an electronic Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system.<\/p>\n

The FWS has been evaluating one of the key upgrades since IFT-1: the water-cooled steel flame deflector aka the water deluge system.<\/p>\n

Reached for comment early Friday morning, an FWS spokesperson said they didn\u2019t have any updates to provide regarding their progress.<\/p>\n

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An overview of the mission plan for the second integrated flight test of SpaceX\u2019s Starship rocket. Image: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Road to the Moon<\/b><\/p>\n

As was the case with the IFT-1 mission earlier this year, NASA has been eagerly watching the progress of Starship.<\/p>\n

SpaceX only has so much time to move through evolutions of Starship before it\u2019s needed to operate as the first vehicle that will be a part of the Human Landing System Program within the overall Artemis Program.<\/p>\n

During 2024, SpaceX is expected to demonstrate its ability to transfer propellant from one Starship vehicle on orbit to another, a key milestone needed within the architecture of safely getting the spacecraft to the Moon, down to the surface and back into lunar orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat will be a really key indicator as to their readiness level,\u201d said Lisa Watson-Morgan, the HLS Program Manager. \u201cAnd once they get to that point, and once that is achieved, it\u2019s much smaller from there on out.\u201d<\/p>\n

That propellant transfer mission will also call upon at least one additional orbital launch mount, which adds to the importance of being able to demonstrate either the success of the changes made or showcase what still needs to be adjusted.<\/p>\n

Watson-Morgan told Spaceflight Now last month that this iterative approach can be tricky to step through, but makes things more simplified by the end of the testing campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so what that means is by the time they\u2019re at the end of their test campaign, they\u2019re pretty much ready to fly. It\u2019s more of a just, here\u2019s the rest of the documentation. Let\u2019s go in and certify,\u201d Watson-Morgan said. \u201cSo, while yes, these are early developmental flights, and they\u2019re not what the Human Landing System Starship will be, in that it doesn\u2019t have our life support, it doesn\u2019t have our comm system, it doesn\u2019t have those aspects, but it is still very important and required. So for us, schedule is key.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see when launch number two ends up on the schedule.<\/p>\n