SpaceX Starship Flight 5 is launch ready

SpaceX has announced that Starship Flight 5 is ready for launch and is now waiting for liftoff approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“Flight 5 Starship and Super Heavy are ready to fly, pending regulatory approval.” Wrote the company on the social media site X on Thursday.

In June, Starship Flight 4 lifted off from Boca Chica, Starbase, and completed a full duration, followed by stage separation. The Super Heavy shut down its engines and maneuvered back to Earth.

Compared to Flight 3, the booster has achieved an accurate targeted landing. SpaceX is now aiming to land the booster on the orbital launch pad and the tower will catch it in air.

The company is conducting slap testing on a dummy booster model to ensure that the catch phase stays in line with the plan. The second stage has its objectives. The spacecraft will have to measure orbit and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. The past four missions have revealed the issues and lack of stability in the tile’s structure as well as design.

Bottom View of Starship 5 Spacecraft during Static Fire Test at Boca Chica Starbase (Source – SpaceX)

Flight 5 will further strengthen the tile material to see if the vehicle could make it through the high-heat region without losing tiles as it did in flights three and four.

During flight 4, the spacecraft completed the landing burn and performed a flip maneuver to stand vertically in the sea. However, the spacecraft missed its targeted zone. Flight 5 will improve accuracy and land the second stage where it is planned.

FAA

The third flight was the most successful Starship flight test so far. Since then, the company has completed a number of tests on the first and second stages including static fire, tank pressurization, and more.

However, the FAA inspecting the last Starship flight test and it’s expected to announce approval by this month for flight 5. A statement from company chief Elon Musk suggests that this giant rocket could fly by the end of this year month or early September.