SpaceX is preparing for the third test flight of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket Starship

SpaceX It is ready for its third test flight this Thursday StarshipThe world’s largest and most powerful rocket, is important in the plans of P.O.T To carry astronauts to the moon and the goal Elon Musk To build a colony someday Mars.

The previous two attempts ended in major explosions, although they represented progress. After the second attempt, SpaceX proposed to the regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration17 “corrective measures” that had to be applied for in order to obtain a new flight license, which had already been granted.

Launch from 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT)StarbaseFrom the company in Boca Chica, Texas, which will depend on weather conditions. This new test flight includes several objectives, including a The first controlled return to Earth.

At a height of 120 meters, the rocket is composed of two stages or parts: the Super heavy propellant with 33 engines and, on top of this, StarshipWhich by extension gives the entire megarocket its name.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s company relies on Starships to achieve its goal of taking humanity to Mars, and its development is also very important to him. American Space Agencywhich has this ship to carry its astronauts to the moon during their missions Artemis 3 In 2026.

The first test was held in April 2023. SpaceX The starship was forced to blow up minutes after launch, as the two stages failed to separate. The rocket disintegrated in a fireball and crashed together in the Gulf of Mexico.

A second test conducted in November 2023 yielded slightly better results: propellant separation spacecraft But then they both exploded in the ocean. However, the ship crossed the edge of space and reached an altitude of about 150 km.

For this third test, SpaceX said it had “ambitious objectives” such as a “controlled re-entry” of the spacecraft and landing on Earth. Indian Ocean At the end of the test, about an hour later. The first stage should also fall into the ocean, after separation.

Musk He said in January that this time the spacecraft “should reach orbit” during the flight. SpaceX also wants to test opening a hatch that could be used to launch cargo such as satellites into space in the future.

The company will also begin testing the spacecraft’s capabilities Transfer fuel to space. According to the special press, this test can be done between two tanks inside the ship.

To reach the moon, Starship Will need to refuel. “Over time, the idea is to demonstrate that they can be sent into space.”Starship Tankers“To refuel, at supercooled temperatures, a main starship will wait in Earth orbit. It can then continue to its destination.

For these tests, the prototypes used do not carry any load. And SpaceX, which has been developing the Starship prototype since 2018, has built numerous copies of its rocket.

SpaceX’s development methodology differs from that of traditional companies and national space agencies. Unlike the latter, which operates with taxpayer money, SpaceX uses its own funds, which allows it to take more risks.

The company hasIterative development”, even if they explode, based on successive tests strung together at a rapid pace.

Lessons learned allow changes to be made quickly. With each test, “we learn something new,” Musk declared in a January speech to employees. “It is always better to sacrifice material than to sacrifice time,” he added.

Its development Falcon Rocket, which currently dominates the American launch market with 96 successful missions by 2023, was also based on multiple failed tests. your capsule Dragonwhich sends astronauts and cargo International Space StationAnd its Starlink Internet satellite constellation, which now covers dozens of countries, is following the same strategies.

In addition to its enormous size, the starship ultimately needed to be completely reusable. Currently, the rocket has only the first stage Falcon 9 It returns to the ground after each launch, to be reused, but not its propellant.

Being able to fly both stages of a Starship multiple times would allow for more frequent launches and less money: being able to “colonize” Mars is imperative, according to Musk. Boss, always optimistic about his schedule, said this week that he expects Starship to make “six more flights this year”.

(AFP)