Starship flight test 6
{{Short description|Sixth launch of SpaceX Starship}}{{about|the sixth flight test of the Starship+Super Heavy vehicle|other launches of Starship|List of Starship launches}}{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{infobox spaceflight
| name = Starship Flight Test 6
| names_list =
| image = Launch of SpaceX Starship 6 rocket seen from the International Space Station (iss072e220043, cropped).jpg
| image_caption = The plume from Starship flight test 6 as seen from the International Space Station
| mission_type = Flight test
| mission_duration = {{time interval|November 19, 2024, 22:00:00|November 19, 2024 23:05:24|show=hms|sep=,}}
| operator = SpaceX
| spacecraft = Starship Ship 31
| spacecraft_type = Starship
| manufacturer = SpaceX
| launch_date = {{launch time|November 19, 2024|22|00|00|CST|net=no}}{{Cite web |date=November 5, 2024 |title=Starship's Sixth Flight Test |url=https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-6 |access-date=November 16, 2024 |website=SpaceX}}
| launch_rocket = Super Heavy (B13)
| launch_site = Starbase, OLP-A
| destroyed =
| landing_date = {{Unbulleted list
| Super Heavy: {{launch time|November 19, 2024|22|06|51|CST|unlink=yes|net=no}}
| Ship: {{launch time|November 19, 2024|23|05|28|CST|unlink=yes|net=no}}
}}
| landing_site = {{Unbulleted list
| Super Heavy: Gulf of Mexico (actual)
Starbase, OLP-A (planned)
| Ship: Indian Ocean
}}
| orbit_regime = Transatmospheric Earth orbit
| orbit_periapsis = Initial: {{cvt|8|km|0}}
After relight: {{cvt|50|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis = Initial: {{cvt|190|km}}
After relight: {{cvt|228|km}}
| apsis = gee
| insignia = Starship flight test 6 patch.png
| insignia_caption = Mission patch
| programme = SpaceX Starship flight tests
| previous_mission = Flight 5
| next_mission = Flight 7
| insignia_upright = 1
}}
Starship flight test 6 was the sixth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The prototype vehicles flown were the Ship 31 upper stage and first stage Booster 13.{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Ryan |date=May 16, 2024 |title=Starship Flight 4 begins Wet Dress Rehearsal campaign |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/05/flight-4-wdr-campaign/ |access-date=July 17, 2024 |website=NASASpaceflight |quote=Ship 31’s other half, which is assumed to be Booster 13}} The flight test started on November 19, 2024, at 22:00:00{{nbsp}}UTC (4:00{{nbsp}}pm{{nbsp}}CST, local time at the launch site).
Although the flight had a similar profile to Flight 5, a suborbital flight to the Indian Ocean, it had several changes to gain flight data for future ship recovery and reuse. The ship reentered the atmosphere at a steeper angle to test the limits of the flaps, and certain parts were outfitted with new thermal protection materials. Certain areas of the heat shield were removed in anticipation of the addition of catch hardware on future ships, which will be needed to land the ship on the arms of the launch tower. Flight 6 was the first flight to include an in-space burn of a single Raptor engine, demonstrating the deorbiting capability of Starship. The launch occurred at a later time of day than previous flights to enable the ship to descend to the ocean in the daylight at the landing location for better visual observations. This was the last flight of the Block 1 Starship upper stage. Block 2 and eventually Block 3 will be used for future flights.{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Stephen |date=2024-11-20 |title=The key moment came 38 minutes after Starship roared off the launch pad |url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/11/the-key-moment-came-38-minutes-after-starship-roared-off-the-launch-pad/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-US}}
Background
= Vehicle testing ahead of launch =
Starship Ship 31 (S31) was rolled to Masseys Test Site at SpaceX Starbase in Texas for cryogenic testing on May 11, 2024.{{Cite tweet |number=1789159230995345769 |user=nasaspaceflight |title=With Booster 11 (Flight 4) now at the launch site. Ship 31 (Flight 6) is preparing to roll to Masseys. |first=Chris |last=Bergin |date=May 11, 2024 |access-date=May 11, 2024}} During its first cryogenic test on May 12, an electrical anomaly occurred,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh2JweC3ETE&t=279s |title=Ship 29 Rolled Out for Full Starship Stack Testing |date=May 14, 2024 |language=en |time=4:39 |access-date=May 14, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=NASASpaceflight}} and Starship Ship 31 was rolled back to the production site for repairs on May 15.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0x6oG4eu2w&t=94s |title=Full Stack Returns for Testing Ahead of Starship Flight 4 {{!}} SpaceX Boca Chica |date=2024-05-18 |last=NASASpaceflight |time=1:34 |access-date=2025-02-28 |via=YouTube}} S31 completed a successful cryogenic test in early July.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS0bM-EGY9w |title=Starbase Prepares for Tropical Storm Beryl |date=July 7, 2024 |time=0:41 |access-date=November 14, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=NASASpaceflight}} S31 completed a successful static fire on September 18.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFGZtLKfBnY&t=268s |title=Booster 12 and Ship 30 Roll Out For Testing, Ship 31 Static Fires and Rolls Back |date=September 21, 2024 |time=4:28 |access-date=September 30, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=NASASpaceflight}} It was rolled to launch site on November 11.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxphA7uzKTA |title=SpaceX Rolls Ship 31 to the Launch Site |date=November 11, 2024 |language=en |access-date=November 14, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=NASASpaceflight}}
Super Heavy Booster 13 (B13) was moved to the Orbital Launch Pad on October 22, 2024. While on the launch pad it conducted a static fire of all 33 of its Raptor engines on October 24.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxLAYSRJTiw&t=10733s |title=SpaceX Tests Super Heavy 13 Booster for Starship Flight 6 |date=October 24, 2024 |time=2:58:53 |access-date=October 25, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=NASASpaceflight}} It was rerolled to the launch site and stacked with S31 on November 14. On November 17 B13 and S31 conducted a partial tanking test ahead of launch.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Rns3PLkfU&t=1800s |title=SpaceX Tests the Stack for the Sixth Flight of Starship – Booster 13 and Ship 31 |date=November 17, 2024 |time=30:00 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=NASASpaceflight}}
Mission profile
The mission profile for flight test 6 mirrored the trajectory of flight test 5, with Starship launching on November 19, 2024, at 22:00:00{{nbsp}}UTC (4:00{{nbsp}}pm{{nbsp}}CST, local time at the launch site). At T+ 2:39, the Starship upper stage hot-staged from Super Heavy, and continued its ascent. Although Super Heavy was supposed to return to Starbase, the booster catch was called off due to a loss of communication to the launch tower. It was later found that during launch a communications and weather station antenna were bent from the engine plume.{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2024 |title=Starship's Sixth Flight Test |url=https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-6 |access-date=November 19, 2024 |website=SpaceX}}{{Cite tweet |number=1859305986760245641 |user=elonmusk |title=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. |first=Elon |last=Musk |access-date=November 20, 2024}} Instead, Super Heavy came down for a controlled landing {{cvt|20|mi|order=flip}} downrange in the Gulf of Mexico where it soon broke up.{{Cite tweet |number=1858995632247370203 |user=NASASpaceflight |title=Booster 13 splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.}} Its liquid oxygen tank section continued to float before being sunk the following day.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjDFirLcQDM&t=15849s |title=Starship Flight 6: Watch SpaceX launch Starship! |date=November 19, 2024 |time=4:24:09 |access-date=November 20, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=Everyday Astronaut}}{{Cite tweet |number=1859301139444826376 |user=mcrs987 |title=B13 has been finally sunk. Both vessels have left the premises |access-date=November 20, 2024}}
Shortly after, Ship 31 shut its engines down, entering a coast phase. The upper stage Starship spacecraft reached an initial apogee of {{cvt|190|km}} and a perigee of {{cvt|8|km}} at a 26.3 degree orbit, marking the first time Starship has had positive perigee. At 22:37:46, the Ship successfully conducted the first Raptor engine relight in the vacuum of space, which raised the apogee to {{cvt|228|km}} and the perigee to {{cvt|50|km}}.{{Cite web |last=McDowell |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan McDowell |date=November 19, 2024 |title=Jonathan's Space Report No. 840 (draft) |url=https://planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.840.txt |access-date=November 19, 2024 |website=planet4589.org}} Starship reentered the atmosphere at 22:47:13, and at 23:05:24, Starship performed a controlled splash down in the Indian Ocean, which marked the first time Starship landed from space during daylight hours.{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Ryan |date=November 18, 2024 |title=SpaceX lands Ship 31 in the Indian Ocean but miss the Booster Catch |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/11/starship-flight-6-launch/ |access-date=November 21, 2024 |website=NASASpaceFlight.com |language=en-US}}
= Flight timeline =
| class="wikitable collapsible"
!Time !November 19, 2024 |
| style="text-align:right" |−01:15:00
|Flight director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading |{{Success|Go for propellant loading}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:49:50
|Starship fuel (liquid methane) load start | {{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:49:21
|Starship oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start | {{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:41:15
|Super Heavy fuel (liquid methane) load start | {{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:35:39
|Super Heavy oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start | {{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:19:40
|Super Heavy and Starship engine chill |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:03:20
|Starship propellant load complete |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:02:50
|Super Heavy propellant load complete |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:00:30
|Flight director verifies go for launch |{{Success|Go for launch}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:00:10
|Flame deflector activation |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |−00:00:03
|Super Heavy engine ignition |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:00:02
|Liftoff |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:01:02
|Throttle down for max q during ascent (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:02:32
|Super Heavy most engines cutoff (MECO) |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:02:39
|Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging) |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:02:44
|Super Heavy boostback burn start |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:03:38
|Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:03:40
|Hot-stage jettison |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:06:25
|Super Heavy is transonic |{{N/A}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:06:34
|Super Heavy landing burn start |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:06:51
|Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and catch |{{Success| Successful Water Landing}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:08:27
|Starship engine cutoff (SECO) |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:37:46
|Raptor in-space relight start |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:37:52
|Raptor in-space relight shutdown |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+00:47:13
|Starship atmospheric reentry |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+01:02:06
|Starship is transonic |{{N/A}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+01:03:12
|Starship is subsonic |{{N/A}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+01:04:56
|Starship landing flip |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+01:05:01
|Starship landing burn |{{Success}} |
| style="text-align:right" |+01:05:24
|Starship splashdown |{{Success}} |
=Payload=
A stuffed toy banana served as the zero-g indicator, becoming Starship's first payload, though it remained within the vehicle for the duration of the flight.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yd_cpPP4fE |title=SpaceX Launches Starship Flight 6 (and Catches a Booster) |date=November 16, 2024 |time=3:52:26 |access-date=November 19, 2024 |via=YouTube |work=NASASpaceflight}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{SpaceX}}