We are just a few weeks out from Starship Flight 6, but the buzz is in the air for what SpaceX plans to do next. We are now in December, which likely puts another launch out of the realm of possibility for 2024, but what exactly might we see for Flight 7?
A not exactly recent, but recently surfaced, report might provide some insight into what SpaceX is thinking for Starship Flight 7. NASA filed an exception with the FAA for a flight that would take place out of Australia. While the details of the exception aren’t important, the reason for the flight is.
NASA is hoping to use one of its Gulfstream aircraft to image Starship during reentry, expecting that flight to take place on January 11th. That NASA flight would also expect to complete its mission about an hour after launch, which would mean another suborbital flight for Starship Flight 7.
This information will need to be taken with a grain of skepticism as it was filed with the FAA before Flight 6 even took place. So SpaceX could have a different plan now that Flight 6 is complete. Also, that January 11 date is likely nowhere close to an actual launch date for Flight 7.
No matter what type of trajectory it flies, Starship Flight 7 will be a different flight from what came before it, as it will be the first Block 2 flight of the program. These upgraded Starship rockets will feature a stretched tank in the ship segment while also being slightly taller. This will give the vehicle added performance to evenly accommodate a stretched payload bay on Block 3.
Block 2 ships will also have their forward flaps moved slightly backwards to reduce the effect of heating during reentry.
If it weren’t for this NASA request to the FAA, we’d still believe that Flight 7 would be no earlier than 2025. With a new Starship block version coming, we’re expecting added and extended tests before it gets the okay to launch. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for a similar flight trajectory given the change in vehicle design.
SpaceX already has a couple of Block 2 rockets finishing up. Ship 33 will be the first Block 2 Starship segment and has already undergone several cryogenic tests over the Thanksgiving weekend. The next Block 2 ship, Ship 34, is still finishing up construction in one of SpaceX’s high bays.
In a semi-recent post to X, SpaceX revealed that Boosters 14 and 15 are standing ready for launch. So SpaceX seems set for both Flight 7 and Flight 8 in early 2025.
The FAA recently announced a preliminary approval to up Starship’s launch limit to 25 for 2025, and SpaceX intends to meet that goal. So, while we expect a longer wait for Flight 7 compared to what we had between 5 and 6, the wait times between launches are only going to get shorter.
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