The U.S. Space Exploration Technology Company's new generation heavy-lift launch vehicle "Starship" plans to launch its tenth test flight mission on the evening of the 24th local time (the morning of the 25th Beijing time). "Starship" has had three test flights this year, all of which ended with the spacecraft disintegrating or the booster exploding. CNN believes that the upcoming test flight is tantamount to a "fateful gamble" for the "Starship" and has attracted attention from all parties.
△Heavy-lift launch vehicle "Starship" (data map)
None of the three test flight targets this year were achieved. The new test flight will eliminate difficult operations.
According to the website of the Space Exploration Technology Company, the "Starship" will usher in the test flight window at 18:30 U.S. Central Time on the 24th (7:30 Beijing time on the 25th). At that time, the "Starship" carrying 8 simulated satellites will be launched from southern Texas. It is planned to complete the following goals: the "Super Heavy" booster that provides the initial power will fall off and splash down in the sea near Texas in a controlled manner. The second-stage spacecraft will enter space. The spacecraft will re-ignite the engine and deploy the simulated satellites it carries.
△The "chopstick-to-rocket" operation appeared during the "Starship" test flights in January and March this year.
Among the three test flights carried out by the "Starship" this year, none of the above tasks were completed. This test flight will no longer repeat the "chopsticks holding rocket" operation. During the test flights in January and March this year, after the "Starship" was launched, the booster returned to the launch site and was "clamped" in mid-air by the robotic arm on the launch tower, thus successfully capturing and recovering the booster.
"Starship" failed multiple test flights, triggering more opposition
△Live broadcast of the eighth test flight of "Starship"
The "Starship" failed multiple test flights, which not only failed to quell long-standing criticism of the project, but also triggered new opposition. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in June that she was investigating the falling debris of the Starship rocket and was considering filing corresponding lawsuits under international law. The British government issued a statement on the 21st of this month saying that it is in contact with the United States to protect the security of British overseas territories, including the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. The wreckage of a "Starship" test flight in January this year crashed on a road in the archipelago.
Some people in the industry believe that multiple failed test flights show that the "Starship" rocket may be unreliable. This also casts doubt on whether the United States' return to the moon mission in 2027 can be carried out as scheduled, and whether SpaceX founder Elon Musk's ambition to explore Mars can be realized.
Dallas Kasabowski, a space affairs analyst at Mason Research, a British consulting company, said that the "Starship" has been tested many times, but "there are fewer successes than failures" and cannot prove that the rocket is reliable. This test flight mission is therefore extremely stressful. Engineer-turned-commentator Will Lockett believes that the "Starship" design concept is "inherently flawed" due to the lack of heavy load testing in previous test flights. He said that in order to carry enough payload, the "Starship" was lighter and therefore "weaker", leading to structural failures in recent test flights.
Garrett Raisman, a former NASA astronaut and professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Southern California, said it is difficult to predict how Starship will end. He said that "Starship" may not work at all, but it may also revolutionize human exploration of the universe.
The Trump administration aims to maintain the leadership of the aerospace industry, and NASA is willing to "bet on starships"
The "Starship" rocket has a total length of about 120 meters and a diameter of about 9 meters. It consists of two parts. The first stage is a rocket booster about 70 meters long, and the second stage is the "Starship" spacecraft. Both stages are designed to be reusable. The rocket will make its first test flight in April 2023 and is designed to deliver people and cargo to Earth orbit, the moon and even Mars. NASA plans to restart its return to the moon program as early as mid-2027, when American astronauts will take off aboard the Starship rocket.
△Elon Musk, founder of Space Exploration Technology Company (data map)
U.S. President Trump signed an executive order on the 13th of this month, aiming to cultivate a competitive commercial aerospace industry and ensure that the United States maintains its leading position in this field. Media reports generally believe that SpaceX will be the biggest beneficiary of this executive order. Musk has repeatedly complained that environmental impact assessments and flight accident investigations have led to delays in Starship testing.
Janet Petro, former acting administrator of NASA, said she was willing to "bet" on Starship. "Although there have been many twists and turns this year, SpaceX is a very serious and proactive company."