From Ars Technica · · 1m 40s
Starship finally goes for orbit
After 13 test flights, SpaceX says the 14th will be the one that actually circles the Earth with real payloads aboard.
In brief
After 13 test flights, SpaceX says the 14th will be the one that actually circles the Earth with real payloads aboard. Flight 14 is the first Starship mission with a real orbital target and paying-customer payloads, but both stages are still landing in the water while SpaceX collects data. Originally reported by Ars…
A launch date, at last
SpaceX is targeting September 22 for Starship's 14th flight, lifting off at 7:15 am CT from Texas with a 75-minute window. Sunrise is two minutes later, so expect striking photos.
First real orbit attempt
This is the first time Starship will actually try to reach orbit. The upper stage aims for 275 km, six laps around the Earth, and a mission lasting roughly 10 hours.
Carrying 26 Starlinks
The flight hauls 26 of the larger V3 Starlink satellites, far more capable than the V2 minis that fly on Falcon 9. Once deployed, they raise their own orbits with onboard propulsion.
Fixing the iced-up engines
On July 24, ice clogged the booster's three center engines and cut the landing burn short. Only 8 of 13 engines relit before a hard splashdown. This booster has better filtering and new relight software.
“In the terminal phase of the burn, the three center engines showed signs of ice clogging, which triggered an early end to the maneuver.”
No tower catch this time
The booster will aim for a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico instead of returning to the pad. Nail it, and a tower catch becomes the goal for the very next flight.
Heat shield homework
The upper stage splashes down again so SpaceX can study heat shield data. New tile retention, curved tiles to cut gap heating, and two tiles from Ship 40 reflying on Ship 41, a first.
“flying multiple areas with a curved tile design that has shown the ability to reduce heating in the gaps between tiles”
The takeaway
Flight 14 is the first Starship mission with a real orbital target and paying-customer payloads, but both stages are still landing in the water while SpaceX collects data.
