SpaceX has officially scheduled the 10th orbital flight test of its Starship spacecraft for Sunday, August 24, with the launch window opening at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT. A live webcast will begin roughly 30 minutes before liftoff on SpaceX’s website, X account, and the X TV app.
For the past couple of weeks, SpaceX had been rumoured to be targeting an August launch date for Starship’s next test flight, following the destruction of the previous prototype during a static fire test in June. This weekend’s flight will use a new prototype, Starship 37, paired with a Super Heavy booster.
The booster will attempt multiple experimental landing burns while on a trajectory to an offshore landing site in the Gulf of America. For the final phase, one of the three center engines will be intentionally disabled to test whether a backup middle-ring engine can complete the landing. The booster will then transition to only two center engines, hover above the water, and shut down before dropping into the Gulf.
Image: SpaceX
Starship’s upper stage will deploy eight Starlink simulators, attempt an in-space Raptor relight, and test several heat shield and structural upgrades during reentry. Experiments include removing a significant number of heat shield tiles to stress-test the vehicle, trying multiple metallic tile types (including one with active cooling), and evaluating new catch fittings.
The mission will also feature experiments aimed at paving the way for Starship’s upper stage to return directly to the launch site. The reentry profile is designed to push the structural limits of the rear flaps under maximum dynamic pressure.
Earlier this week, SpaceX also showed off the first grid fin for its next-generation Super Heavy booster, which will eventually launch future Starship missions. Flight tests like this one continue to inform design improvements as SpaceX progresses toward a fully reusable launch system.
