Starship's Fourth Flight Test Set for Thursday
SpaceX's gargantuan rocket to take fourth leap into flight
Webcast set for 8 a.m. EST (5 a.m. PST, 1 p.m. UTC)
Cape Canaveral, FL – SpaceX is targeting Thursday, June 6, 2024, for the fourth flight test of its Starship launch vehicle, the most powerful rocket ever built. The launch window opens at 5:04 a.m. EST (2:04 a.m. PST, 10:04 a.m. UTC) and the webcast will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.
Starship is the latest project in SpaceX's decades-long reusable launch system development program. The company's ultimate ambition is to use Starship to colonize Mars, but the rocket is also being designed to launch satellites and other payloads into orbit.
The fourth flight test of Starship will be the first to involve a full-scale prototype of the rocket's second stage, known as Starship SN24. The first three flight tests of Starship involved only the rocket's first stage, known as Super Heavy. Super Heavy is powered by 33 Raptor engines and uses sub-cooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen as propellants.
Starship SN24 is powered by six Raptor engines and uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen as propellants. The second stage is designed to carry payloads into orbit and to land on the Moon or Mars.
The fourth flight test of Starship will be a major milestone in the development of the rocket. If the test is successful, it will bring SpaceX one step closer to its goal of launching Starship to Mars.
You can watch the webcast of the fourth flight test of Starship on SpaceX's website.
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