No catch attempt this time, but still another successful test flight
Flight 6 launched at 4.00pm CT (10.00pm UK time) on Tuesday 19th November 2024, just 40 days after the spectacular success of Flight 5 with its successful first-ever catch attempt of the Super Heavy booster.
Starship Flight 6, ready for launch Credit: SpaceX
Onboard was a banana - yes, a banana! - in the otherwise empty cargo bay, acting as a test of getting payload approval from the FAA.
Liftoff Credit: SpaceX
Following liftoff, the “Go for catch” call-out was given for the tower, but unfortunately not for the booster on this occasion, with safety rightly being the overriding concern. Whatever was deemed off-nominal, the booster nevertheless performed what looked to be a great return and perfect soft landing - albeit on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. [Update: Elon Musk has now clarified the situation: “Lost comms to the launch tower computer. Catch would probably still have worked, but we weren’t sure, so erred on the side of caution.”]
To anyone who was disappointed not to see a second catch attempt, these launches are TEST flights. They’re exciting to watch, but it’s not entertainment. We’re witnessing technological development through a series of “try, see what happens, and improve”, known as rapid iteration. The data is the real payload at this stage.
During the coast phase between ascent and descent, the first-ever re-light of a Raptor engine in space took place - another important milestone for future space travel.
Starship flew around the world before millions of viewers got to see thrilling daylight views of it splashing down in the Indian Ocean just short of Australia. SpaceX had intentionally made changes to Ship 31, including heat shield experiments and a more aggressive nose-down angle of descent just prior to its landing burn - necessary for future returns of Starship to launch site - deliberately pushing the structure to its limits. Despite these challenging modifications, SpaceX still made an extremely difficult task look easy, as all went well.
Splashdown in the Indian Ocean Credit: SpaceX
And that’s the end of “version one” of Starship, with major changes coming for the upper stage from the next test flight onwards. Elon Musk has said there will be one more sea splashdown before a first attempt to catch Starship, but we can be hopeful to see the Super Heavy booster being caught again.
Written by Iain Scott, 20th November 2024