Starship flight test 6

This article is about the planned sixth flight-test of the integrated Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle full stack. For the 2021 launch of SN9, the 6th test flight of Starship, see List of Starship upper stage flight tests.

Starship flight test 6

Mission type	Suborbital flight test
Operator	SpaceX
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Starship Ship 31
Spacecraft type	Starship
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Start of mission
Launch date	NET November 18, 2024, 22:00 UTC (4:00 pm CST)
Rocket	Super Heavy (B13)
Launch site	Starbase, OLP-A
End of mission
Landing site	Super Heavy: Starbase, OLP-A (planned) Ship: Indian Ocean (planned)
SpaceX Starship flight tests

Starship flight test 6 will be the sixth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The prototype vehicles expected to be flown are the Ship 31 upper stage and first stage Booster 13. SpaceX is expected to perform the flight test no earlier than November 18, 2024, at 22:00 UTC (4:00 pm CST, local time at the launch site).

Although the flight will have a similar profile to Flight 5, a suborbital flight to the Indian Ocean, it will have several changes to gain flight data for future ship recovery and reuse. The ship will reenter the atmosphere at a steeper angle to test the limits of the flaps, and certain parts will be outfitted with new thermal protection materials. Certain areas of the heat shield will be missing in anticipation of the addition of catch hardware on future ships, which will be needed to land the ship on the arms of the launch tower. Flight 6 will be the first flight to include an in-space burn of a single Raptor engine, demonstrating the deorbiting capability of Starship. The flight is planned to take place at a time of day such that the ship reentry will occur in daylight for better visual observations.

Background

Vehicle testing ahead of launch

Starship Ship 31 (S31) was rolled to Masseys Test Site at SpaceX Starbase in Texas for cryogenic testing on May 11. During its first cryogenic test on May 12, an electrical anomaly occurred, and Starship Ship 31 was rolled back to the production site for repairs on May 15. S31 completed a successful cryogenic test in early July. S31 completed a successful static fire on September 18.

Super Heavy Booster 13 (B13) was moved to the Orbital Launch Pad on October 22. While on the launch pad it conducted a static fire of all 33 of its Raptor engines on October 24.

Mission profile

The mission profile for flight test 6 is similar to that of flight test five, with booster 13 returning to the launch site and S31 landing in the Indian Ocean. However, S31 will also attempt an in-space relight, which had originally been planned for flight test 3.

Flight timeline

Time	Event
−01:15:00	Flight Director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading
−00:49:50	Starship fuel (liquid methane) load start
−00:49:21	Starship oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start
−00:41:15	Super Heavy fuel (liquid methane) load start
−00:35:39	Super Heavy oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start
−00:19:40	Super Heavy and Starship engine chill
−00:03:20	Starship propellant load complete
−00:02:50	Super Heavy propellant load complete
−00:00:30	SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch
−00:00:10	Flame deflector activation
−00:00:03	Super Heavy engine ignition
+00:00:02	Liftoff
+00:01:02	Max q during ascent (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
+00:02:32	Super Heavy most engines cutoff (MECO)
+00:02:39	Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging)
+00:02:44	Super Heavy boostback burn start
+00:03:38	Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown
+00:03:40	Hot-stage jettison
+00:06:25	Super Heavy is transonic
+00:06:38	Super Heavy landing burn start
+00:07:00	Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and catch
+00:08:27	Starship engine cutoff (SECO)
+00:37:46	Raptor in-space relight
+00:47:13	Starship entry
+01:02:06	Starship is transonic
+01:03:12	Starship is subsonic
+01:04:56	Starship landing flip
+01:05:01	Starship landing burn
+01:05:24	Starship splashdown