SpaceX Is Preparing For Starship's First Orbital Flight

Elon Musk wants the spacecraft to orbit Earth six times.

SpaceX is preparing for the first-ever orbital test of its giant Starship rocket. The launch is scheduled for next Monday, and the mission itself will be the most ambitious test of the system to date, according to Independent.

The rocket’s first stage—the 33-engine Super Heavy booster—has already been installed at the Starbase launch site in South Texas. Together with the Starship’s second stage, the structure reaches 124 meters in height, making it the largest and most powerful rocket ever launched.

During the upcoming flight, Starship is expected to spend about 10 hours in space and orbit Earth six times before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile. The rocket will also deploy the latest Starlink V3 satellites into orbit for the first time.

“Starship will head into orbit for the first time with Starlink V3 satellites, which will be used in the operational network,” Elon Musk wrote on X.

In July, Starship already successfully completed a series of tasks, including the delivery of 20 Starlink V3 test satellites and the return of the second stage via a suborbital trajectory without destruction.

Now SpaceX must test the return of both stages. The company aims to make the rocket fully reusable and quickly prepare it for new flights. SpaceX refers to this technology as the “Holy Grail of rocketry.”

The success of the test is also important for NASA. The data collected should help prepare Starship for the “Artemis” program and future astronaut landings on the Moon.

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