The Third Test Flight of SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy Vehicle

SpaceX has been granted a license by the Federal Aviation Administration for the third test flight of its Starship Super Heavy vehicle. This upcoming test flight is scheduled to take place on Thursday morning, with a launch window opening at 7AM CT / 8AM ET / 5AM PT on March 14th.

Both of the first two Starship launches ended explosively, causing significant damage and leaving debris fields. The FAA provided a list of corrective actions for SpaceX to address before the second attempt last spring. Despite the challenges faced in the previous launches, SpaceX is moving forward with the third test flight.

The third flight test aims to build on the learnings from previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives. These include successful ascent burns of both stages, opening and closing Starship’s payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage’s coast phase, the first-ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship.

For this third launch, SpaceX is targeting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean instead of a spot closer to Hawaii as with the previous attempts. This new trajectory will enable SpaceX to try new techniques like in-space engine burns while also maximizing public safety.

The upcoming third test flight of SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy vehicle presents both challenges and opportunities for the company. Despite the setbacks experienced in the first two launches, SpaceX is forging ahead with ambitious objectives and a new trajectory for this test flight. It will be interesting to see how SpaceX addresses the corrective actions provided by the FAA and if they can achieve success in this upcoming launch.