SpaceX shared a brief animation showing the Starship’s ideal trajectory for its third flight. The rocket must end its journey in the Indian Ocean after 90 minutes, if it does not disintegrate before then.
Ahead of the Starship’s third test flight, scheduled for early afternoon (Paris time), SpaceX shared on social networks an animation showing the theoretical trajectory of the rocket, if all goes well. The launcher, positioned on its launch pad, will launch from Texas, along the coast, before pointing towards the Indian Ocean.
The ideal Starship flight, if all goes well
During its ascent, the craft will fly over the Gulf of Mexico (at this time, there will be the separation of the two stages of the Starship), Cuba and then the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket’s trajectory will take it over South Africa, then under Madagascar, before ending its course off the coast of Australia.
This entire sequence should last an hour and a half. So much for the theory anyway. In practice, nothing is decided: SpaceX has already completed two tests, which ended respectively after the fourth and after the eighth minute. Suffice to say that the challenge is great, knowing that SpaceX wants to test new maneuvers.
Starship must replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launchers, thus becoming SpaceX’s Swiss army knife for its space activities, including the most futuristic. Its first major mission will consist of space transportation to the Moon, in support of NASA and its Artemis program. The appointment is for 2026. If the rocket is ready by then.
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