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Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Readies for Next Test Flight

Elon Musk has recently announced the SpaceX’s Starship, a colossal rocket, is set to make its next journey as early as next week, provided all preparations progress as scheduled. This piece of news was released on the evening of May 13, indicating that the plan is on course. There is also another exciting piece of information for ardent followers of space science and exploration. Musk mentioned his intent to hold a company briefing just prior to the upcoming Starship mission. This briefing, which will be held in Starbase, Texas, will be live-streamed and will unravel the strategy for Mars colonization.

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The Starship and the Mars mission are tightly linked; one cannot be discussed without mentioning the other. SpaceX is working diligently to develop the Starship, designed to be completely reusable and will be the largest and most potent rocket ever assembled. The ambitious aim is to aid mankind in becoming an interplanetary species by making Mars an additional habitation zone. This objective has always been an important part of Musk’s vision.

SpaceX has not yet confirmed an exact date for this key test flight, which will be the ninth time a fully set-up Starship vehicle takes to the skies. Based on the warnings issued to pilots and those at sea, it is inferred that May 21 is the tentative target. This, however, is conditional on the approval granted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA is essentially like the watchdog of SpaceX’s operation, keeping a check on the investigation into what transpired during Flight 8, which was launched on March 6. The first stage of the Starship’s Super Heavy rocket performed as expected on the mission. Conversely, a mishap befell the upper part of the vehicle, also known as Starship or simply Ship, which detonated less than 10 minutes post takeoff.

It’s worth noting that the outcome of Flight 7, which took off in January, was strikingly identical. The FAA’s nod of approval is required for SpaceX’s incident report, including every corrective measure the space company has implemented. This approval is needed before the next flight, Flight 9, can take place. While we are currently unaware of any confirmation from the FAA, Musk radiates optimism that the necessary approvals will be received in time.

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Flight 9 has been in the preparation phase for a considerable duration now. SpaceX has been actively carrying out static fire engine tests on the Super Heavy and Ship, the two intrinsic components of the Starship that will spearhead the test flight. One particular attribute of the Super Heavy is unique.

Interestingly, the Super Heavy for Flight 9 is not entirely new: it’s the same vehicle that launched on Flight 7. This marks the pioneering instance of a Starship stage being reused for a flight, highlighting SpaceX’s dedication to realizing the full lifecycle reusability of their spacecrafts.