SpaceX to attempt putting Starship rocket into Earth orbit for first time

Three years after its first test flight, SpaceX's Starship rocket will attempt Monday to enter Earth's orbit, a key step in the development of the massive launch vehicle designed for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

On the heels of its high-profile initial public offering in June, Elon Musk's SpaceX plans to shift into high gear with a 14th test flight featuring ambitious goals.

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The test, expected to last about 10 hours, will involve the upper stage of the experimental rocket flying into Earth orbit and deploying 26 next-generation Starlink satellites there – if all goes well. 

But the launch, scheduled to take place in Texas starting at 7:15am local time (1215 GMT), could hold surprises, as multiple previous tests have ended in spectacular explosions.  

After several years of development and testing in Texas, SpaceX began flying the rocket in its full configuration in 2023, deliberately following suborbital trajectories, which are safer and less challenging.

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Numerous modifications have been made to the black-and-silver behemoth, the largest and most powerful object ever to have flown.

But immense technical challenges remain before Starship – which Musk hopes to make fully reusable – can be considered ready for commercial flights or to reach the Moon or Mars.

28,000km/h

With this new test, SpaceX hopes to usher in an "exciting new phase" of development that will include, among other things, tests of refuelling the rocket in orbit.

The spacecraft will be launched Monday on a suborbital trajectory and, if all systems are go, then perform a second burn to reach orbit.

"That's the hardest part," requiring "more forces and more complex calculations", explained Kathleen Curlee, a senior analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

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To reach the necessary altitude and speed, "the rocket has to do different things when it's experiencing different levels of gravity", she told AFP.  

On this flight, SpaceX is aiming for a circular orbit about 275km (171 miles) above the Earth, requiring a speed of about 28,000km/hour.

If it achieves that, the spacecraft will then attempt to deploy satellites designed to expand the company's already massive satellite internet constellation.

Public expectations

The plan calls for the rocket to finish its journey in the Pacific Ocean after orbiting the Earth six times.

The huge first-stage booster, called "Super Heavy", will fall shortly after launch into waters of the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX does not plan to catch it this time using huge mechanical arms.

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From an engineering point of view, "just achieving flight and getting data" would be considered a success, Curlee said.

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But spectators and investors have different expectations. 

"They need to have flashy tests" because anything less would be seen as a failure, she added.

The development of Starship has faced repeated delays, and a Chinese company has recently made progress in the field of reusable rockets.

Still, SpaceX continues to dominate the global space launch market, thanks to its partially reusable Falcon rockets, and has made risk-taking its mantra.

Whether or not it is successful, this 14th test flight will be followed the same week by three other SpaceX rocket launches, one of which will carry a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station.