SpaceX plans the fourth flight of its Starship rocket within two months, in May. The American regulator suggests that this schedule is plausible given the performance of the last test.
Almost seven months passed between the Starship’s first and second flights. Between the second and third, the waiting time was reduced to less than four months. What will happen for the fourth test flight of SpaceX’s new rocket? Will the green light from the United States Civil Aviation Administration (FAA) be granted quickly?
In any case, this is the wish expressed by Gwynne Shotwell, the director of SpaceX during a conference organized on March 19 in the United States, which the Spacenews site was able to attend. The person concerned indicates that the next flight could occur relatively soon. A takeoff within the next two months is therefore envisaged.
“ We are still reviewing the data » of the March 14 flight, she said. Once the lessons have been learned, we will fly again in about six weeks “, she said. If this schedule is kept, it would mean that the Starship would take off again at the beginning of May. This is subject to obtaining authorization from the FAA.
For this fourth flight, SpaceX must re-validate all the steps previously completed. But above all, we expect progress in the recovery of the first stage (which was lost during its return to Earth) and in the survival of the upper stage during atmospheric reentry (it was also lost).
Another step that the American company will probably want to take next time: the re-ignition of a Raptor engine, when the Starship is in space, in transit to its destination. According to a first report from SpaceX, this test was not attempted because of too high a roll rate.
Allow more Starship flights
Although the schedule outlined by Gwynne Shotwell remains to be confirmed, it appears plausible. Indeed, the FAA suggested not expecting any big problems during the investigation into the third flight. This is what Kelvin Coleman, associate administrator of the regulatory authority, said. If no major glitches are found, the authorization could fall quickly.
“ The launch ended in what we call an accident, but ultimately we consider it a successful launch attempt as there were no injuries or property damage », he noted, quoted by our colleagues. “ We didn’t see anything major. We do not believe any safety-critical systems were involved. »
In the medium term, moreover, the FAA could change the scope of its green light if the Starship becomes more reliable. Rather than issuing one approval per flight, the regulator is considering in the future granting a license to SpaceX that would allow it to conduct a series of flights. The company could thus multiply the tests without waiting for the administration.
Subscribe for free to Artificielles, our newsletter on AI, designed by AIs, verified by Numerama!