The sixth test flight for Elon Musk's rocket Starship is set to happen on November 18. Viewers will be able to watch it live on SpaceX's website or through the X platform.
During the last test, the first part of the rocket, the Super Heavy booster, came back to the launch site where it was grabbed by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. The upper part, or the Starship itself, flew well, landing softly in the Indian Ocean after showing it could handle space travel better than before.
For this next flight, they'll try to do this again, but with some new tests.
They'll light up a Raptor engine on the Starship while it's in space for the first time. This engine test is important for controlling the Starship's path back to Earth from orbit. They also plan to test how well the rocket can handle heat during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. They'll do this by removing some of the heat shield tiles (these are special tiles that protect the rocket from burning up) to see how it affects the rocket's performance.
They'll also change how the Starship comes back to Earth, making it fly at a steeper angle to see how the flaps (like wings) control the descent under tougher conditions. They're doing all this during the day so everyone can see it better.
The booster will also have some new hardware to make it stronger and more reliable. If everything goes well, it will be caught again by the tower. If not, it will splash in the Gulf of Mexico safely. The test includes making sure the rocket and the tower are in good condition for this catch.
To the Moon and to Mars
Overall, this test is about learning more about making the Starship reusable for future missions, including trips to Mars or back to the Moon, by testing new ways to control and protect the rocket during its journey through space and back.
NASA plans to use Starship to land Artemis 3 astronauts on the Moon, and the role of Starship in NASA programs is likely to grow. Space experts and enthusiasts are discussing test missions to Mars (unpaywalled copy). NASA should "support SpaceX on Mars while focusing NASA on fixing all the problems with Artemis," said space policy analyst Greg Autry.