NASA Looks Forward To Next Starship Test

US government agency NASA is keeping a close eye on SpaceX, which is looking forward to launching a test flight of its Starship Vehicle. NASA expects the Elon Musk-led company to achieve the upcoming milestone, which will focus on the development of a lunar lander version of the vehicle.

SpaceX announced earlier on October 7 that it was set to launch Starship on its integrated flight on October 13, provided it received regulatory approval. The mission is going to be the same as its fourth mission in June.

Notably, the differentiating factor is that the Super Heavy Booster will attempt to return to the Starbase launch site at Boca Chica. This will facilitate the launch tower to “catch” the booster with a pair of mechanical arms. This is crucial for SpaceX's long-term plan to enable rapid resume of the vehicle.

The company stated, “Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch attempt of the Super Heavy booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a manual command from the mission’s Flight Director.” Moreover, if the conditions are not fulfilled, the booster will crash in the Gulf of Mexico.

Interestingly, the timing of the launch comes as a surprise. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) previously stated that it would not be ready to give a go-ahead to the astronautics company until late November, citing changes in mission profile from previous flights. This move received flak from the company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, industry peers, and congressional supporters.

An FAA official in September confirmed that the Starship launch license is under environmental review. The FAA confirmed that the information provided by SpaceX in mid-August pertaining to the environmental impact.

“In mid-August, SpaceX submitted new information for its proposed Starship/ Super Heavy Flight 5 mission,” the FAA said in an Oct. 8 statement. “The FAA is continuing to review this information. The FAA will make a licensing determination once SpaceX has met all licensing requirements.”

Notably, unlike the previous FAA statements, it did not confirm the late November schedule. The Interagency review process was completed before the expected time, which could allow the licensing process to be completed by the end of the week. However, this doesn't mean that the launch mission is going to take place on October 13.

Lori Glaze, acting deputy associate administrator in NASA’s exploration directorate said, the agency was “really looking forward” to the Starship flight, adding that it could happen “as early as next week.” The Starship is linked to its use as a lunar lander for the agency’s Human Landing System program.

The next milestone for Starship HLS Development is performing a propellant transfer demonstration in orbit, during which SpaceX will unveil a propellant depot in Earth’s orbit.

Currently, efforts are underway to recover and reuse the Super Heavy Booster as the company is set to test it on the upcoming launch. The company actually planned to test the Super Heavy booster landing on the sixth flight but had to move it up to the fifth flight.

Notably, SpaceX expects to do “16 propellant transfers”, said William H. Gerstenmaier, Vice President, Mission Assurance, SpaceX.