SpaceX successfully launched its sixth Starship test flight on Tuesday from Starbase, Texas. There was no problem today, as SpaceX did not see favorable conditions for the attempt.
The spacecraft lifted off on time at 4:00 PM Central Time, and the super-heavy rocket touched down in the Gulf of Mexico about seven minutes after liftoff.
Super Heavy starts burning during landing and quietly splashes into the Gulf of Mexico pic.twitter.com/BZ3Az4GssC
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024
About two minutes before the successful landing, SpaceX decided to cancel another attempt to catch the Super Heavy spacecraft. SpaceX kept safety as a priority as always and decided not to meet the requirements for a catch-up attempt. She called for an enhanced transfer abroad and completed it without any problems.
CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X that he hopes to catch up to Super Heavy faster and harder with this launch, along with three other goals:
The goals of Starship Flight 6 are:
1. Restarting Raptor engines in vacuum.
2. Landing the ship in broad daylight.
3. Higher (steeper) heating peak at return.
4. Enhanced faster/harder fishing.There are thousands of small design changes being tested as well.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2024
Load of bananas
SpaceX teased Moza’s post on IFT-6 with photos of the rocket moving to the launch pad several days ago:
During a broadcast on the X of the Starship pilot, it was explained that the banana was a symbol of the first payload ever to be carried aboard the craft. A banana was placed on board for the zero-gravity indicator, but it was also so SpaceX could go through the payload approval process with the FAA.
SpaceX’s broadcast hosts said they will update SpaceX on the regulatory process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in hopes of avoiding issues the company has had with the agency in the past. This also appears to be a sign that SpaceX is ready to start testing payloads, with launches scheduled for 2025.
You can get some Banana (For Scale) merchandise on the SpaceX website. I’ve already chosen what I’ll get from this launch:
I may have to get this for my office pic.twitter.com/D7GTJ00CpH
— Joey Klender (@KlenderJoey) November 19, 2024
SpaceX could launch the seventh test flight before the end of the year. The fifth spacecraft was launched in October, just over a month ago. There’s a possibility that SpaceX will push the envelope and try again before Christmas, but it remains to be seen if the company will instead wait until early 2025.
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