SpaceX Gears Up for Another Momentous Launch: Starship, the Unrivaled Powerhouse

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Following months of reconstruction and overcoming bureaucratic obstacles in the aftermath of the Starship system's inaugural test flight that ended in an explosion, SpaceX is gearing up for its upcoming endeavor.

The highly anticipated launch of the megarocket, the most powerful launch vehicle ever constructed, is scheduled to take place on Friday between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. CT (8 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET). The success of this launch holds significant importance as it carries the hopes of future human exploration of the moon and Mars.

This launch is crucial for the NASA Artemis III moon mission, set to occur in 2025, as the Starship spacecraft, positioned atop the Super Heavy booster, will play a pivotal role. The outcome of this launch attempt will greatly impact the lunar exploration goals of the US space agency.

A live stream of the launch from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas will be available. CNN will also offer live updates.

During the first integrated test flight of Starship and Super Heavy in April, the vehicle started tumbling tail-over-head shortly after takeoff, leading to SpaceX activating the self-destruct mode and detonating both rocket stages over the Gulf. This resulted in debris falling over certain areas of the South Texas landscape, prompting environmental and wildlife organizations to express their concerns.

Local officials are expected to keep people far away from the launch site, recommending a viewing location about 5 miles (8 kilometers) across the water on Texas South Padre Island.

What to expect

The towering rocket, reaching a staggering height of 397 feet (121 meters), is composed of two main components: the upper Starship spacecraft and the lower Super Heavy first-stage booster, which provides the initial thrust during liftoff.

Assuming everything proceeds as expected, the Super Heavy will activate its colossal array of up to 33 engines, propelling the Starship capsule high above the Gulf of Mexico. Once its fuel is depleted, the Super Heavy will separate from the Starship spacecraft and descend back towards the ocean.

During the upcoming flight test on October 5 at the International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explained that the Starship will ignite its engines and aim to reach the necessary velocity to enter Earth's orbit. This achievement typically requires spacecraft to travel at speeds of approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) per second. However, Musk clarified that the Starship will be slightly below orbit as it completes a full circuit of the Earth before safely landing in the Pacific, just off the coast of Hawaii.

All told, the mission will likely last about an hour and a half.

Musks Starship hopes and whats at stake

Successful completion of the test flight will mark a significant milestone, paving the way for SpaceX to undertake more intricate Starship missions such as satellite deliveries to orbit and in-orbit spacecraft refueling. Facilitating refueling in space could enhance the capability of the spacecraft to embark on missions in the outer reaches of the universe.

However, failure of the test mission could have far-reaching implications, potentially leading to delays in meeting the stated objectives of SpaceX and NASA for the rocket system.

SpaceX has positioned Starship as the rocket that will fulfill the primary goal of the company: Sending humans to Mars for the initial time and establishing the groundwork for a long-term settlement on the red planet.

While Musk anticipates that the inaugural test flight to Mars could occur within the next "three or four years," it's worth noting that he has a tendency to be overly optimistic with projected timelines.

During the Artemis I mission, on the 20th day of the flight, Orion successfully approached the Moon during a powered flyby on its return journey. The spacecraft performed a burn lasting 3 minutes and 27 seconds, ensuring its planned splashdown on December 11th.

NASA

Watch: Here's how NASA wants to send humans back to the moon

NASA is counting on Starship to help fulfill its mission of returning US astronauts to the moon for the first time in 50 years as part of the Artemis program. Starship is expected to transport the astronauts from their spacecraft in lunar orbit to the surface of the moon. To accomplish this, SpaceX was awarded a $2.89 billion contract from NASA in 2021, with the potential for an additional $1.15 billion deal. Payments will be made to SpaceX as they achieve specific milestones in the development of Starship.

NASA aims to achieve the inaugural moon landing utilizing Starship by the end of 2025, with a possibility of the launch date being postponed to 2026 due to the challenges faced by SpaceX, according to Jim Free, associate administrator of NASAs Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, in June.

The US space agency is aiming to put boots on the moon sooner rather than later, as its racing against China to create the first permanent lunar base.

What success looks like for SpaceX

SpaceX, despite harboring high hopes, has gained reputation for embracing fiery mishaps and explosions during the initial phases of new rocket development. The company adopts a fast-paced approach to rocket development known as "rapid spiral development," which involves the rapid creation of prototypes and a willingness to willingly detonate them for the purpose of acquiring knowledge on constructing a superior rocket in a shorter time frame compared to relying solely on ground tests and simulations.

Following the explosion during the initial test flights, the company promptly attempted to present the accident as a positive outcome. In a statement issued at that time, they expressed, "In situations like these, success is derived from the knowledge gained, and we have acquired an immense amount."

In the past, similar explosions have caused rockets to be out of commission for over a year. However, SpaceX swiftly fabricated a new prototype, introduced an extensive range of "thousands" of enhancements, and announced readiness to conduct another test flight in early September, as per updates shared by Musk on various social media platforms.

In this video still provided by Roscosmos State Space Corporation, we see the Luna-25 automatic station being launched into space aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East on Friday, August 11, 2023. Unfortunately, on Saturday, August 19, 2023, Roscosmos announced that the spacecraft encountered difficulties while attempting to enter a pre-landing orbit around the moon. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)

Roscosmos/AP

Russian lander crashing into the moon may have broader implications for space race, experts say

Musk has stated that SpaceX has made improvements to both the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster design, using the lessons learned from the initial launch. An incident occurred where the launchpad was severely damaged due to the powerful engines of the Super Heavy booster. As a result, SpaceX has installed a water deluge system on the pad, which will release water as the engines ignite, reducing their impact and protecting the launchpad. Musk has compared this mechanism to a massive showerhead.

SpaceX's approach to separating Starship from the Super Heavy booster midflight will now involve the utilization of the Starship's own engines for propulsion, rather than relying on a separate mechanical system. However, the outcome of these modifications and their potential for achieving success remains uncertain.

"I would like to manage expectations, but not set them too high," Musk stated during the October conference in response to a question about his objectives for this test mission.

In August, Musk took to social media and predicted a "50% chance of attaining orbital velocity," but he cautiously acknowledged that simply achieving stage separation, the point at which the Super Heavy rocket separates from the Starship spacecraft, would be considered a success.

Those are still better odds than Musk gave the April test flight, which he had said would have been a success if the rocket made it off the launchpad.

Regulators and environmentalists

Starship was unable to fly as claimed by SpaceX in September, primarily due to regulatory obstacles. The company was awaiting the Federal Aviation Administration to conclude its investigation into the April test flight incident and grant a new launch license. William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX's Vice President for build and reliability and former NASA associate administrator for human exploration, strongly criticized the regulatory process during a US Senate hearing in October, accusing it of impeding the development of Starship.

Conversely, environmentalists advocate that the FAA's efforts to safeguard the public lands and wildlife refuges surrounding SpaceX's South Texas launch site are inadequate.

CNN

Environmental organizations have filed a lawsuit against the FAA for the explosion of the SpaceX launch in April. The activists claim that regulators did not adhere to federal environmental law when approving the test flight of the Starship. This lawsuit is still in progress, and there is a possibility of another complaint being raised regarding the recently issued second launch license by the FAA, according to Jared Margolis, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, who spoke to CNN on November 8.

SpaceX's testing operations have faced protests from environmental groups due to concerns about explosive mishaps that have resulted in shrapnel being scattered onto public beaches and nearby wildlife reserves. Additionally, unintended brush fires have burned acres of land as a result. While SpaceX, involved in the case as an intervener, denied many of the allegations in the lawsuit, it did acknowledge that debris from its testing operations has been flung into nearby areas. Both SpaceX and the FAA assert that they have adhered to federal environmental laws.

In a written reassessment of its environmental assessment, signed by the FAA on Wednesday, it was noted that SpaceX has implemented modifications at the launchpad to potentially decrease debris production during the upcoming test flight. Furthermore, the agency determined that the new data obtained from the previous launch and continuous monitoring does not introduce any noteworthy circumstances or information pertaining to environmental concerns.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment for this story, nor does the company typically respond to inquiries from reporters.