List of SpaceX Starship flight tests

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prototypes of the upper stage of the SpaceX Starship have been flown nine times.[a][1][2][3][4][5] Designed and operated by private manufacturer SpaceX, the flown prototypes of Starship so far are Starhopper, SN5, SN6, SN8, SN9, SN10, SN11, and SN15.[6][7]

Starship is planned to be a fully-reusable two-stage super heavy-lift launch vehicle.[8] Unusual for previous launch vehicle and spacecraft designs, the upper stage of Starship is intended to function both as a second stage to reach orbital velocity on launches from Earth, and also eventually[9] be used in outer space as an on-orbit long-duration spacecraft. It is being designed to take people to Mars and beyond into the Solar System.[10]

Prototypes[]

Low-altitude flights[]

This section is an excerpt from SpaceX Starship § Low-altitude flights.[]
Short steel rocket with its fins touching the ground
Starhopper while under construction
Crane hooking onto a steel vessel body
A crane lifting Starship SN5

The first prototype to run a Raptor engine was the Starhopper.[11] It had three large non-retractable legs[12] and was noticeably shorter than a normal Starship spacecraft. The craft performed two tethered hops in early April 2019 and hopped untethered up to 20–30 m (70–100 ft) two months later, doing a controlled hover at a low speed.[13] In August 2019, the vehicle hopped to 150 m (500 ft) and traveled to the landing pad 100 m (300 ft) away.[14] As of August 2021, the vehicle has been retired and repurposed as a water tank and a mounting point for radio communication, weather, and ground station equipment.[12]

SpaceX then constructed Starship Mk1 and Starship Mk2, located at Starbase and the SpaceX facility in Cocoa, Florida, respectively. In late September 2019, Musk presented more details about the booster, the spacecraft's method to control its descent, its heat shield, orbital refilling feature, and potential destinations outside Mars.[15] The spacecraft design was once again changed, reducing the number of aft flaps from three to two. Musk mentioned the switch of Starship material from carbon composites to stainless steel formally, claiming its lower cost, high melting point, cryogenic temperature strength, and ease of manufacturing.[16] After the presentation, Mk1 was destroyed during a pressure stress test two months later and Mk2 did not fly because the Florida facility was deconstructed throughout 2020.[17][18]

In January 2020, SpaceX bought two drilling rigs from Valaris plc for $3.5 million each during its bankruptcy proceedings and planned to repurpose them as offshore spaceports.[19] After the "Mk" prefix, SpaceX from here named later prototypes with the prefix "SN". No prototypes between SN1 and SN4 flew, as SN1 and SN3 collapsed during a proof pressure test and SN4 exploded after its fifth engine firing.[12] During the interval, the company accelerated the construction of infrastructure at Starbase, which uses large tents, stations, and repurposed intermodal containers. When linked together, these facilities function as a production line, hastening the rocket construction.[20]

In June 2020, SpaceX began construction of an orbital launch pad.[21] Around that time, Starship SN5 was built, the lack of flaps or nose cone giving it a distinctive cylindrical shape. The test vehicle only consisted of one Raptor engine, full-size propellant tanks, and a mass on top. SN5 performed a 150 m (500 ft)-high flight on 5 August 2020, successfully landing on a nearby pad.[22] On 3 September, Starship SN6 with a similar structure to Starship SN5 repeated the hop.[23] A week later, SpaceX stress tested SN7.1 tank that first made use of SAE 304L stainless steel grade, instead of the old SAE 301 stainless steel grade in prior prototypes.[24] In the same September, the company first fired its Raptor Vacuum engine.[25]

High-altitude flights[]

This section is an excerpt from SpaceX Starship § High-altitude flights.[]
Steel rocket on a mount
Starship SN9 on a mount with its flaps closed
Animation depicting a successful test flight following the flight profile of SN8 to SN15. The video can also be viewed at its entry on Wikimedia Commons.

SN8 was the first complete Starship prototype and underwent four static fire tests between October and November 2020. The third test ingested fragments of pad material into engine internals, causing an earlier shutdown.[12] The fourth test was successful, and on 9 December 2020 SN8 flew, reaching an altitude of 12.5 km (7.8 mi). However, just before touchdown, an issue related to propellant flow caused the prototype to lose thrust and impact the pad.[26] The test provoked condemnation from FAA Associate Administrator Wayne Monteith, as SpaceX had ignored FAA warnings that weather conditions at the time could have worsened damage from a possible in-flight explosion to nearby homes.[27] Two months later, on 2 February 2021, Starship SN9 launched on an almost identical flight path and crashed on landing.[28]

In March 2021, the company sent a public construction plan to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which has two sub-orbital launch pads, two orbital launch pads, two landing pads, two test stands, and a large tank farm that stores propellant. The company proposed the incorporation of surrounding Boca Chica Village into a city named Starbase,[29] raising concerns about SpaceX's authority, power, and potential abuse for eviction.[30] On 3 March 2021, after an initially aborted launch, Starship SN10 traveled the same flight path. The vehicle then landed hard and crushed its landing legs. Minutes later, SN10 exploded, due to a propellant tank rupture.[31]

After approval from the FAA,[32] on 30 March 2021, Starship SN11 flew into thick fog along the same flight path. The vehicle exploded during descent, scattering debris up to 8 km (5 mi) away.[33] In early April 2021, the first tank was placed into the fuel farm for the first orbital launch pad.[21] Around the same time, despite a few earlier misgivings about its complexity,[34] NASA selected Starship HLS as the crewed lunar lander.[35] The decision was disputed by Blue Origin and sparked a six-month-long dispute, titled Blue Origin v. United States & Space Exploration Technologies Corp.[36] Returning to Starbase, the assembly of Starship SN12, SN13, and SN14 was superseded, and Starship SN15 was selected to fly instead. On 5 May 2021, SN15 flew, did the same maneuvers as older prototypes and landed, completing the first successful mission.[37]

Planned orbital launches[]

This section is an excerpt from SpaceX Starship § Planned orbital launches.[]
Workers near a tall spacecraft with heat shield
Examination of Starship SN20's heat shield
Steel rocket firing its engines
Engine firing of Starship SN20 near Super Heavy boosters and launch tower

In July 2021, Super Heavy BN3 first fired three of its engines.[38] Super Heavy BN4 was the first that can mate to Starships, while Starship SN20 was the first to feature a body-tall heat shield, mostly made of black hexagonal heat tiles. A month later, Starship SN20 was stacked atop of Super Heavy BN4 for the first time using cranes.[39] In October 2021, the catching mechanical arm was installed onto the first launch tower, forming the recovery system, and the last tank insulation cover was installed, marking the completion of the first tank farm.[21] On 26 November 2021, a day after Thanksgiving in the United States, Musk sent an internal email to all SpaceX employees saying that the Raptor engine's production line was not sufficiently mature, thus creating a risk of bankruptcy for the company.[40]

Two weeks later, just north of Launch Complex 39B, NASA announced the new Launch Complex 49 that will launch Starship at the Kennedy Space Center.[41] In February 2022, just after stacking Starship SN20 on top of Super Heavy BN4 using mechanical arms for the first time,[42] Musk gave a presentation on Starship development at Starbase. There, he clarified much of the information provided in the past, as well as giving updates on Starship HLS, Raptor engines, the environmental assessment of Starbase, and a reopening of the Florida facility.[43]

SpaceX explained the planned trajectory of the first orbital flight of the Starship system in a report sent to the Federal Communications Commission. The rocket is planned to launch from Starbase, then Super Heavy will separate and perform a soft water landing around 30 km (20 mi) from the Texan shoreline. The spacecraft will continue flying with its ground track passing through the Straits of Florida, and then softly land in the Pacific Ocean around 100 km (60 mi) northwest of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. The whole spaceflight will last ninety minutes.[44][45]

Starship test flights[]

Further information: Starship development history § Starship prototypes

Eight prototype Starship second stage vehicles, each with different vehicle configurations, have flown nine suborbital test flights in the period between July 2019 and May 2021.

SpaceX testing is proprietary, and the company does not release a detailed set of test objectives for their vehicle development test flights. All test flights have been launched from the Starbase launch site at Boca Chica in southern Texas.[46]

By August 2021, the iterative development work at the South Texas facility had become focused on the first orbital test flight of the two-stage Starship system.[47]

Starship second stage sub-orbital flights[]

Flight
No. 		Date and time
(UTC) 		Vehicle Launch site[b] Flight apogee Duration
- 3 April 2019 Starhopper Launch site, Boca Chica, Texas <0.3 m (1 ft) ~3 seconds
The first firing of Starhopper and the first tethered hop (according to Musk[48][49]). The burn was a few seconds in duration and the vehicle was tethered to the ground. The vehicle might have lifted off the ground, but only to the height of no more than a foot, and it was not possible to see the lift off in public video recordings of the test.[49][50]
- 5 April 2019 Starhopper Launch site, Boca Chica, Texas 1 m (3.3 ft) ~5 seconds
Tethered hop which hit tether limits. Used a single Raptor SN2 engine.[1]
1 25 July 2019[51] Starhopper Launch site, Boca Chica, Texas 20 m (65.6 ft)[2] ~22 seconds
First free (untethered) flight test. Single Raptor engine, SN6.
2 27 August 2019 22:00[3][52] Starhopper Launch site, Boca Chica, Texas 150 m (492 ft)[3] ~1 minute[53]
Single Raptor engine, SN6. Starhopper was retired after this launch and used as a water tank at the production site.[3][54][55]
3 4 August 2020 23:57[56][57] Starship SN5 Suborbital Pad A, Boca Chica, Texas 150 m (492 ft)[56] ~45 seconds
Used a single Raptor engine, SN27.[58] Second 150-meter hop.[4]
4 3 September 2020 17:47[59] Starship SN6 Suborbital Pad A, Boca Chica, Texas 150 m (492 ft)[60] ~45 seconds
Used a single Raptor engine, SN29. Third 150-meter hop.[59]
5 9 December 2020[61] 22:45 Starship SN8 Suborbital Pad A, Boca Chica, Texas 12.5 km (41,000 ft)[62] 6 minutes, 42 seconds
Three Raptor engines, SN30, SN36, and SN42.[63] The vehicle successfully launched, ascended, performed the skydive descent maneuver, relit the engines fueled by the header tanks, and steered to the landing pad.[62] The flip maneuver from horizontal descent to vertical was successful. However, a sudden pressure loss in the methane header tank caused by the flip maneuver reduced fuel supply and thrust, resulting in a hard landing and destruction of SN8.[62]
6 2 February 2021[64] 20:25 Starship SN9 Suborbital Pad B, Boca Chica, Texas 10 km (32,800 ft)[65][64][66] 6 minutes, 26 seconds[66]
Three Raptor engines, including SN45 and SN49.[66][67][68][69] A Raptor failed to start due to a problem with its oxygen-rich preburner,[citation needed] causing SN9 to over-rotate and hit the landing pad at a 40 degree angle. The vehicle was destroyed by the impact forces and explosion.
7 3 March 2021[70][71] 23:15 Starship SN10 Suborbital Pad A, Boca Chica, Texas 10 km (32,800 ft)[72] 6 minutes, 24 seconds[73][c]
SN10 experienced a hard landing with a slight lean after the landing and a fire near the base of the rocket,[76] and then exploded eight minutes after landing.[undue weight? – discuss][72] SN10 did not deaccelerate enough, resulting in a hard landing damaging some legs and crushing part of the skirt. The cause was probably due to partial helium ingestion from the fuel header tank.[74]
8 30 March 2021 13:00[77] Starship SN11 Suborbital Pad B, Boca Chica, Texas 10 km (32,800 ft)[78] ~6 minutes[77]
SN11 launched in heavy fog, and had engine issues during ascent (according to Elon Musk).[79] Telemetry was lost at T+5:49, shortly after the defective engine was ignited for the landing burn at an altitude of around 600 meters.[80] Debris were then seen falling from the sky, indicating that the vehicle had exploded just above the landing site.[81] Elon Musk stated that a "relatively small" methane leak caused a fire on one of the Raptor engines which damaged it, causing hard start attempting landing burn and destruction of SN11.[82]
9 5 May 2021 22:24[83] Starship SN15 Suborbital Pad A, Boca Chica, Texas 10 km (32,800 ft)[84] 5 minutes, 59 seconds
SN15 was a new iteration of prototype Starship with many upgrades over previous vehicles.[85] SN15 launched in overcast weather and achieved a soft landing, with a small fire starting near the base shortly after landing. The post-flight fire was out within 20 minutes.[86][87]

Starship system orbital flights[]

Test flights of the Starship system—the two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle—when launched to an orbital trajectory will always consist of both a "ship", Starship, which also serves as the second stage, and also a booster, Super Heavy. On early flights the ship will be merely a second stage test article, as no cargo is planned for the early flights of the iterative test campaign.[47]

Flight

No.

Date and time

(UTC)

Vehicles Launch site Flight apogee Duration
- NET May 2022[88] Starship + SuperHeavy Booster[89] Orbital Launch Pad, Boca Chica, Texas TBD ~90 minutes (planned)
As of November 2021, Ship 20 was slated to be tested on the first orbital test flight, tentatively launching on top of Super Heavy Booster 4.[90] However, as March 2022, Elon Musk stated that "new prototypes will conduct the orbital flight", not the Ship 20 and Booster 4.[89] The booster will separate roughly three minutes after launch and splashdown ~30 km (19 mi) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.[91] The ship will fly over the Florida Strait, avoiding populated land, and continue to accelerate to orbital velocity. It will then re-enter the atmosphere over the Pacific and perform a soft splashdown ~100 km (62 mi) northwest of Kauai.[92]

Future operational flights[]

SpaceX has on various occasions made a few public statements about preliminary ideas for future operational orbital flights using the Starship system. All dates for future flights are speculative, and therefore approximate and "no earlier than" (NET) dates. Moreover, it is difficult to compare the dates in the tables since they have come from different sources and at different times over the past three years.

Elon Musk has stated that Starship would fly hundreds of times before launching with humans.[9] A likely use of some of these flights would be to launch Starlink satellites.[93]

Date Vehicle Mission Notes
TBD Starship Crew Third Polaris Program Flight On behalf of Jared Isaacman, last flight of planned Polaris Program and first crewed mission of Starship.[94][d]
NET 2023[95] Starship Crew dearMoon Plan for a flyby loop around the Moon, as of 2018. Known as dearMoon project.[96]
NLT 2025[97] Starship HLS HLS Demo NASA demonstration mission for the Human Landing System prior to Artemis 3, announced in April 2021. Includes refueling and landing vehicles.
Starship Cargo (refueling)
NET 2025[98][99][100][101] Starship HLS Artemis 3 Human Landing System vehicle for Artemis Program. Date is dependent on many NASA Artemis program and SpaceX Starship development contingencies.
Starship Cargo (refueling)
NET 2024 Starship Cargo Earliest potential cargo flight to Mars, as of 2020.[102]
NET 2026 Starship Crew
(Heart of Gold)[103][obsolete source] 		Earliest potential crewed flight to Mars, as of 2020.[102]

Other flights[]

The HLS variant of Starship was selected by NASA in April 2021 to be the lander for the Artemis missions to the Moon. Artemis 3 is intended to be the first human mission to the Moon to use Starship for long-duration crewed lunar landings as part of the Artemis program.

According to space journalist Mike Wall in 2020, Musk is said to envision that eventually more than 1,000 Starships could be needed to depart for Mars every 26 months, which could lead to the development of a sustainable Martian city in 50–100 years.[104]

Notes[]

  1. ^ not including tethered, short hops of Starhopper on 3 and 5 April 2019
  2. ^ All launches are from the same Boca Chica site. SpaceX started calling this Starbase from March 2021 after discussions called a "casual inquiry". See Boca Chica (Texas) § Starbase
  3. ^ Despite making an intact landing and beginning the detanking procedures, the vehicle suffered an explosion several minutes later destroying the vehicle in the process. SpaceX called it a successful landing but later acknowledged a problem with lower-than-expected engine thrust causing a hard landing[74] way past leg loads[75] and the vehicle exploded.[71]
  4. ^ The first (Polaris Dawn) and second mission of this program will be launched with Crew Dragon.

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