SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket lifted off on its 11th test flight on October 13, and the mission proved a big success. So why have we heard little about the world’s most powerful rocket since then?
Well, as far as we know, development of the Starship — comprising the first-stage Super Heavy and upper-stage Ship — is still going according to plan, with no major difficulties reported as the SpaceX team prepares for the 12th test.
As the saying goes, no news is good news, and that seems to apply here. While SpaceX is hoping to increase the frequency of Starship launches to as many as once every two weeks, that’s unlikely to begin until some time next year, once SpaceX has readied its new launch site at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At the current time, all Starship launches take place from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in southern Texas.
There’s no word yet on the date of the 12th test, but the flight will be a significant one as it’ll involve the third version of the Starship. The slightly taller, more advanced vehicle will be the first Starship capable of performing full orbital launches and recoveries, taking SpaceX a huge step toward its first operational launches to the moon.
SpaceX is also in the process of moving its launch operations to Pad B, which is still under construction at Starbase and will likely be used for the 12th test flight. Pad B will feature a more durable flame trench capable of safely managing Starship’s powerful exhaust. It’ll also enable faster and sustained launch capabilities than Pad A.
There’s clearly plenty of hard work ahead. SpaceX’s Starship faces a number of major technical challenges to get it ready for its first highly anticipated operational mission, Artemis III, which is set to use a modified Ship to return NASA astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2027.
SpaceX won the contract for the Artemis III lander in 2021, but acting NASA chief Sean Duffy recently caused alarm at the company when he raised the idea or reopening bids over concerns that the Starship won’t be ready in time. SpaceX responded soon after with a plan for a “simplified” Artemis III mission.
It may seen like a quiet period for the Starship, but behind the scenes you can be sure the engineers are as busy as ever getting everything ready for the 12th test, which many expect to take place early next year.
