SpaceX's Starship Targets Early June Launch for Fourth Test Flight

SpaceX announced plans for the fourth Starship rocket test flight, possibly in June once the company gets regulatory approval.

Starship, SpaceX's enormous rocket, is awaiting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization to launch again. The Verge reported that the suggested date for the Starship test flight is June 5, per the American spacecraft maker's release.

Starship launched on its last test flight in March. SpaceX lost communication with the vehicle when it reentered Earth's atmosphere. During reentry, the manufacturer observed "lower than expected landing burn thrust," possibly due to "continued filter blockage."

Despite this setback, the test flight completed a propellant transfer demonstration and space payload door testing. The cause of the explosion is the focus of SpaceX's investigation under FAA supervision.

Space X Speeds Up Starship Testing

The private space firm began developing Starship in 2012 to create a fully reusable spaceship, though the first two launches exploded. The 165-foot vehicle will carry personnel and cargo into space.

On the next launch, SpaceX will focus on returning and reusing the Starship and its Super Heavy rocket. The firm updated hardware and software to boost performance. The next flight will aim for an Indian Ocean splashdown like the previous one.

SpaceX is working on several versions of Starship to speed up testing, as it fast-tracks the development of a dependable human-carrying spaceship, as reported by The Independent.

Massive Explosion at SpaceX Raptor Engine Test

Meanwhile, an explosion at SpaceX's Boca Chica Starbase in southern Texas during a Raptor engine test was reported by NASA.

NASA Spaceflight footage captured a blast during SpaceX's Raptor engine test. The explosion caused the company's engine test pad to catch fire.

According to Interesting Engineering, the clip began just after 4:12 p.m. local time and shows the Raptor engine turning down 14 seconds after activation. As vapor around the test tower evaporated, a fire developed beneath the engine, swiftly rising and creating a secondary explosion that consumed the tower.

According to NASASpaceflight's social media post, there was an "anomaly " at the Raptor testing stand at McGregor. It also noted that there were bizarre gases that triggered another explosion on the test bench.

SpaceX has not yet commented on the explosion incident. Notably, the firm had a small Starship upper-stage test anomaly earlier this month. Despite these issues, the IFT-4 test flight is not expected to be delayed.

Raptor engines, presently completing certification testing, are essential to SpaceX's completely reusable Starship, the world's most powerful rocket. The first stage of the Super Heavy Starship has 33 Raptor engines.

Raptor 2 engines, with more thrust, and an improved design, are undergoing testing. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in 2022 that Raptor 2 engines generate 230 tons (~500,000 pounds) of thrust at sea level. The tech tycoon also remarked that the improved version is half as expensive to create and more dependable and powerful than the V1.5 variant.