SpaceX Ship 31 reaches the launch pad before Flight 6

SpaceX shared visuals of the Ship 31 reaching the launch pad ahead of the Starship Flight 6 orbital mission on November 18. The company has confirmed that the ship is ready and it could fly on top of the first stage booster.

Earlier, SpaceX loaded ship 31 on the transportation vehicle and moved the giant rocket from the Starship factory to the launch pad at the Boca Chica Starbase Texas facility.

We previously speculated that the ship could go for a second static fire test, while the first test was conducted in September. However, that doesn’t seem required at this time.

That being said, the Super Heavy booster will now make its way to the launch pad and combine with this massive rocket with those launch tower arms.

To be mentioned, these arms will maneuver to catch the first stage after exhausting the final burn just like it did in the 5th flight.

SpaceX Starship on the launch pad in Starbase Texas (Credit – SpaceX)

There’s one small detail in the spacecraft as you can notice banana for scale decal. It previously pasted a mechazilla decal to reflect the booster catch.

This time, the company has no big milestones planned, instead, it will focus on improving the second stage as it reenters Earth and endures the maximum heat.

The goal of this flight is to test an improved heat shield and thermal system and get the ship to the splash zone with the lowest damage. Meanwhile, the company has also adjusted the launch window to observe Ship 31’s reentry in light compared to the previous flight window in the morning.

Starship moved to the pad at Starbase in advance of our sixth flight test pic.twitter.com/u6Mbc35ARr

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 12, 2024

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