The world’s biggest rocket, Starship, is getting ready for its fifth test flight. If everything goes as planned, the test could happen in the next few weeks. Starship, which is 400 feet tall, has already been tested four times. After some early failures, it showed promise and did well in its fourth test. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, has big plans for this rocket. It might one day take astronauts to the Moon and Mars.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said that the fifth test of Starship will happen soon. He posted on X (formerly Twitter) saying, “The fifth flight will be in the next four weeks.”
What is Starship?
Starship is a reusable rocket with two main parts. The first part is the passenger section, where astronauts will be. The second part is the Super Heavy rocket booster. Together, Starship and its booster are 394 feet (120 meters) long and weigh 5 million kilograms. The rocket can produce 16 million pounds (70 meganewtons) of thrust, which is almost twice as much as NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
Starship’s Test History
Starship has been tested four times. The first test was in April 2023, followed by a second test in November 2023. It was tested again on March 14 and June 6 of this year. All tests took place at SpaceX’s launch site, Starbase, in South Texas.
Each test has shown improvements. For example, in the latest test, the Super Heavy and Starship separated as planned and returned to Earth. They landed in the Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean.