SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 3
| Mission type | Flight test |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Mission duration | 1 hour, 4 minutes, 39 seconds (planned) |
| Apogee | 235 km (146 mi) (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Starship S28, Super Heavy B10 |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | March 14, 2024, 12:30:00 UTC (planned) |
| Rocket | Starship |
| Launch site | Starbase |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
SpaceX Starship flights | |
SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 3 (IFT-3) is the third integrated flight test of the SpaceX Starship. It is planned to launch as soon as March 14, 2024, pending approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).[1]
Background
Changes from the previous flight
After the second test flight in November 2023 ended in the destruction of both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft, 17 significant changes were made to the starship vehicles, including upgrading the ship to an electric thrust-vector control system[2] (the booster had been upgraded for IFT-2), and delaying the ship liquid oxygen (LOX) dump to after SECO.[2]
Additions to the flight plan, which were not attempted in earlier flights, include:
- Exercising the payload deployment door,
- Zero-gravity fuel transfer,
- In-space engine relight, and
- Splashdown in the Indian ocean (earlier flights targeted the Pacific).
Development prior to launch
The FAA closed its mishap investigation of the IFT-2 launch on February 26, 2024. In the mishap report, SpaceX identified 17 corrective actions, of which ten were for the Starship upper stage and seven for the Super Heavy booster.[3] Booster 10 and S28 conducted their individual static fire tests in late December 2023,[4] and a wet dress rehearsal was performed in early March 2024.[5] On March 5, 2024, SpaceX announced that they were targeting a launch date of March 14, 2024, pending regulatory approval.[6][7]
Flight Profile
IFT-3 will launch from the SpaceX Starbase facility along the South Texas coast. The Super Heavy booster will conduct a boostback burn, followed by a soft water landing in the Gulf of Mexico.[1] The Starship spacecraft will conduct several tests after engine cutoff, including a propellant transfer demo and a Raptor engine re-light test.[8][9] It will then re-enter the atmosphere and splashdown in the Indian Ocean[6] without performing a landing burn.[1]
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| −01:15:00 | SpaceX Flight Director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading |
| −00:53:00 | Starship oxidizer loading (liquid oxygen) underway |
| −00:51:00 | Starship fuel loading (liquid methane) underway |
| −00:42:00 | Super Heavy oxidizer loading (liquid oxygen) underway |
| −00:41:00 | Super Heavy fuel loading (liquid methane) underway |
| −00:19:40 | Booster engine chill |
| −00:03:30 | Booster propellant load complete |
| −00:02:50 | Ship propellant load complete |
| −00:00:30 | SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch |
| −00:00:10 | Flame deflector activation |
| −00:00:03 | Booster engine ignition |
| 00:00:02 | Liftoff |
| 00:00:52 | Max q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) |
| 00:02:42 | Booster most engines cutoff (MECO) |
| 00:02:44 | Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging) |
| 00:02:55 | Booster boostback burn startup |
| 00:03:50 | Booster boostback burn shutdown |
| 00:06:36 | Booster is transonic |
| 00:06:46 | Booster landing burn startup |
| 00:07:04 | Booster landing burn shutdown |
| 00:08:35 | Starship engine cutoff (SECO) |
| 00:11:56 | Payload door open |
| 00:24:31 | Propellant transfer demo |
| 00:28:21 | Payload door close |
| 00:40:46 | Raptor in-space relight demo |
| 00:49:05 | Starship entry |
| 01:02:16 | Starship is transonic |
| 01:03:04 | Starship is subsonic |
| 01:04:39 | Starship splashdown |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Starship's Third Flight Test". SpaceX. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "SpaceX updates". SpaceX. February 26, 2024. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024.
- ^ Davenport, Christian [@wapodavenport] (February 26, 2024). "The FAA has closed the mishap investigation into the second Starship test flight" (Tweet). Retrieved March 7, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ SpaceX Dual Static fire of Booster 10 and Starship 28 (Video). NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ SpaceX Performs Third Attempt of B10/S28 Wet Dress Rehearsal (Video). NASASpaceFlight.com. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Berger, Eric (March 6, 2024). "The next Starship mission has a tentative launch date: March 14". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Reisinger, Don (March 7, 2024). "SpaceX Starship Mission 3: How to Watch the March 14 Launch". CNET. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Wall, Mike (March 7, 2024). "SpaceX to push the envelope on 3rd Starship test flight". Space.com. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Tingley, Brett (March 6, 2024). "SpaceX eyes March 14 for 3rd Starship test flight". Space.com. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
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