SpaceX is moving Starship 6 upper stage to the launch pad

SpaceX is rolling out the upper stage of Starship Flight 6 to the launch pad. The visuals coming from @starshipgazer have shown this giant spacecraft over the transportation vehicle en route to the test venue.

The company will conduct different tests on this ship including a static fire. This will validate all of the six Raptor engines and their functionalities as well as ground support. It will also verify propellant load in a launch-like environment.

Starship 6 testing began in the midst of Starship Flight 5 launch preparations. The space rocket maker announced flight readiness in August for the fifth test flight and conducted the Starship 6’s second-stage static fire in mid-September.

However, the fifth successful flight has gathered new flight data for new upgrades for the next test mission. That brings us to Flight 6 and SpaceX has made some new changes in the components used in the upper stage.

The ship is now carrying new changes in the thermal section with secondary thermal protection materials. It will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware for future vehicles.

Starship 6 will have a high fly angle to gather flight data for future landing profiles. However, it will fly the same suborbital trajectory as flight 5.

Unlike booster, SpaceX won’t attempt to catch Starship with mechanical arms. Instead, it aims to achieve stability and safety of the flight as it marks reentry and a controlled splash down in the Indian Ocean.