Jump to content

Starship flight test 10

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Starship flight test 10
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorSpaceX
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftStarship Ship 36[1]
Spacecraft typeStarship (Block 2)
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch dateNET June 2025[2]
RocketSuper Heavy (Block 2, B15-2 or B16-1)[3]
Launch siteStarbase, OLP-A
End of mission
Landing site

Starship flight test 10 will be the tenth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. Ship 36 and either Booster 15 or Booster 16 will fly on this test flight.[4][5] As of May 2025, the flight profile is unknown. Because of incidents during Flight 9, it is likely Flight 10's ship will land in the Indian Ocean, but a landing at Starbase is possible.[6]

Background

[edit]

Vehicle testing ahead of launch

[edit]

Ship 36 was assembled in Mega Bay 2 throughout February and March 2025.[7] It was rolled out to the Massey's test site for cryogenic testing on April 26.[8][9] It conducted a full cryogenic test on April 27.[10] It was rolled back to Mega Bay 2 for engine installation on April 29.[11]

Booster 15 was rolled back to Mega Bay 1 on March 8 for refurbishment,[12] after having flown on flight 8.[13]

Booster 16 conducted a cryogenic test on February 28,[14] before being rolled back to the production site on March 20 for engine installation.[15]

Impact of Flights 7, 8 and 9

[edit]

SpaceX has suffered a succession of flight test failures since Flight 7. [16][17] During Flight 7 on January 16, 2025, initial data indicated that a fire occurred mid-flight, resulting in the destruction of the vehicle. The failures resulted in a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation that delayed Flight Test 8. [18][19] During Flight 8, four engines shut down approximately 30 seconds before the planned SECO, resulting in loss of control, telemetry, and subsequent vehicle burnout. [20] The FAA opened an investigation into the crash, [21] but on May 22, the FAA determined that the Flight 8 failure did not impact public safety.[22] On Flight 9, the vehicle reached its intended trajectory, but several failures occurred, including a loss of attitude control, which prevented Starship from achieving most of its objectives, and it disintegrated during reentry.[16][17] It is not known at this time whether the failure in flight test 9 could affect the schedule of subsequent tests.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Weber, Ryan (January 29, 2025). "Following Flight 7 SpaceX line up future Starships". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  2. ^ https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1927531406017601915?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet. Retrieved May 28, 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 21, 2025). Starship Flight 9 Preps, Chopstick Testing, and Pad B Progress | Starbase Update. Event occurs at 4:10. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Weber, Ryan (January 29, 2025). "Following Flight 7 SpaceX line up future Starships". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  5. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 21, 2025). Starship Flight 9 Preps, Chopstick Testing, and Pad B Progress | Starbase Update. Event occurs at 4:10. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Raptorside Replay: April 3rd, 2025". YouTube. April 3, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  7. ^ NASASpaceflight (March 18, 2025). Despite Flight 8's Failure, SpaceX Races Ahead Towards Mars | Starbase Update. Event occurs at 17:00. Retrieved March 20, 2025 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 28, 2025). Wait that's Ship 36 | Starbase Update. Retrieved April 29, 2025 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "Making the turn into Masseys". X (formerly Twitter). April 26, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  10. ^ Priel, Elisar (April 27, 2025). "Starship S36 got straight to work following its arrival to Masseys the day before, undergoing a complete cryo test. while from the @NASASpaceflight cameras it looked nominal, it remains to be seen if further tests will be performed prior to its rollback". Twitter. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  11. ^ Priel, Elisar (April 29, 2025). "Ship 36 rolling back right now at Starbase @NASASpaceflight". Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  12. ^ NASASpaceflight (March 13, 2025). The One that Came Back – Booster 15 Returns as Pad B Shapes Up | SpaceX Boca Chica. Retrieved March 14, 2025 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ "Starship's Eighth Flight Test". SpaceX. February 24, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  14. ^ Priel, Elisar [@ENNEPS] (March 1, 2025). "Starship Booster 16 got to work quickly after arriving to Massey's early in morning performing a multi hour partial cryo test well into the night. Next up should be a full cryo test before returning home to Mega Bay 1 for some engines" (Tweet). Retrieved March 1, 2025 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ NASASpaceflight (March 23, 2025). The Final Days of the Starbase High Bay | SpaceX Boca Chica. Event occurs at 4:15. Retrieved March 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ a b "Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship Explodes Again But Orbits For 46 Minutes". Forbes.com. May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  17. ^ a b "EAfter back-to-back explosions, new SpaceX mega rocket Starship tumbles out of control and breaks into pieces". Fortune.com. May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  18. ^ "New Year. New Ship. New Lessons". SpaceX.com. February 24, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  19. ^ Dunn, Marcia (January 16, 2025). "SpaceX Suspects Fire During Starship Flight 7 Linked to Pressure Issues". Associated Press. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  20. ^ Wall, Mike (March 7, 2025). "Watch fiery SpaceX Starship Flight 8 debris rain down over The Bahamas (video)". Space.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  21. ^ Pearlman, Robert Z. (March 8, 2025). "FAA investigating SpaceX Starship Flight 8 explosion that disrupted commercial flights". Space.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  22. ^ Beil, Adrian (May 22, 2025). "The @FAANews has given the go for flight 9 of Starship". Twitter. Retrieved May 22, 2025.