A giant step for Starship: The most successful test to date
SpaceX's giant spacecraft successfully met all the objectives of the 13th test flight, recording a successful soft landing at sea. The experiment was only marred by a malfunction in landing the launch rocket.
SpaceX conducted the 13th test flight of the Starship system tonight (between Friday and Saturday, Israel time), and the second for its new generation, V3, following the maiden flight of this model about two months ago. After two launch postponements in the last week — one due to an engine malfunction and the other due to cloud cover that limited visibility — the weather was clear in South Texas, and the launch was carried out just a few minutes after the scheduled time.
All 33 engines of the SuperHeavy launch vehicle functioned properly, and within about two minutes the spacecraft's engines were activated and it separated from the rocket. Since this is a new model of rocket with a propulsion system different from previous versions, the company needs to perform a successful landing maneuver over the sea before it attempts to land the rocket on land and catch it in the launch tower. In the previous test, the rocket lost control and crashed after separation, so this time too, a landing maneuver was performed over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a few kilometers from the launch site. This time the rocket successfully performed the maneuver and arrived exactly at the landing site, but at the critical moment, only five of the 13 engines that were supposed to slow the rocket down ignited, and it hit the water at high speed instead of hovering as planned.
Fortunately, the disappointment from the rocket landing was not a sign of things to come. The spacecraft successfully entered the planned ballistic trajectory after all six of its engines performed well and shut down on time. The next critical goal was the deployment of Starlink satellites in space, about 38 minutes after launch. In previous missions, Starship deployed dummy satellites, and tonight for the first time the spacecraft carried real third-generation satellites. These are significantly larger than the second generation — their weight at launch approaches 2,000 kilograms, and the span of their solar panels is about seven meters. In addition to regular radio communication, they are equipped with a laser system for inter-satellite communication.
In the future, Starship is supposed to deploy 60 such satellites in each mission. Tonight it successfully deployed 20 at an altitude of about 200 kilometers. The satellites were not intended to enter orbit, but to burn up in the atmosphere just twenty minutes after deployment. During this time window, operators tested the deployment of solar panels, communication, network connection, and laser links. SpaceX soon confirmed that contact was established with all satellites and all functioned as planned.
The last satellites ejected were also equipped with lights and cameras. They filmed the spacecraft from close range to allow engineering teams to examine the integrity of the heat shield and see if tiles had fallen off during the critical stages of launch. For this purpose, the spacecraft performed a roll to expose the belly side, where most of the heat shield tiles are located, to the satellites' view. The images showed no real damage to the protective tiles. SpaceX is constantly testing different materials and attachment methods to reduce tile loss. The goal is to develop a heat shield that requires minimal maintenance, enabling the fastest possible reuse of the spacecraft.
The next challenge was the activation of one of the spacecraft's engines in space, a step skipped in the previous test due to a malfunction. Engine activation is a critical stage on the way to an orbital flight and for a controlled return to the atmosphere. Starship is also intended to be the landing vehicle for astronauts on the Moon in the Artemis program. This time the company planned to activate only one of the three vacuum engines for about 14 seconds, and this was carried out with full success.
The final stage of the mission was the return to the atmosphere to perform a landing maneuver over the sea in the Indian Ocean, northwest of the Australian coast. The spacecraft completed this part with full success as well, and at the end hovered above the water surface and landed on it softly. Unlike in previous test flights, it did not explode upon contact with the water, but remained floating for a relatively long time, allowing a drone to circle above it and film the heat shield for an in-depth inspection.
SpaceX made significant progress in the 13th test. However, the challenges were minimal, and SpaceX needs to prove as soon as possible that its spacecraft can withstand much more significant challenges to advance to the next stage. The company will have to advance from flights on a ballistic trajectory to a real entry into orbit around the Earth, as well as the ability to return from such an orbit for a controlled landing. The next stage will be docking with another spacecraft and performing refueling in orbit — a complex process essential for Moon landings. After meeting these goals, SpaceX will have to demonstrate an unmanned landing of Starship on the Moon and takeoff from its surface before receiving approval to land astronauts. On paper, the company should meet all these goals by the end of 2028, though judging by past experience, NASA's missions may be postponed. Nevertheless, competition with Blue Origin and the economic incentive of developing infrastructure in space may spur SpaceX to accelerate development.
Itai Nevo, Davidson Institute of Science Education, the educational arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
