Starship flight test 7
| Mission type | Flight test |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Ship 33 |
| Spacecraft type | Starship (Block 2) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET January 15, 2025, 22:00:00 UTC (04:00 pm CST)[1] |
| Rocket | Super Heavy (Block 1, B14) |
| Launch site | Starbase, OLP-A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing site |
|
Starship flight test 7 will be the seventh flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The prototype vehicles expected to be flown are Ship 33, the first Block 2 upper stage, and Booster 14, a Block 1 vehicle. After having previously supported Booster 12 during flight 5, engine #314 will be reflown on Booster 14.[2] This will likely be the final suborbital test flight of Starship, as ships will need to be placed into LEO to be caught, which is planned to occur on Flight 8.[3]
Flight 7 is targeted to liftoff from Texas at 22:00 UTC (04:00 pm CST, local time at the launch site) on January 15, 2025.[1] The FAA granted a launch license covering multiple flights of Starship, including flight 7, on December 17.[4]
Background
[edit]Vehicle testing ahead of launch
[edit]Ship 33, a Block 2 Starship, is expected to be flown on flight 7.[5] In October 2024, Ship 33 underwent cryogenic testing.[6] Its counterpart, Booster 14, also underwent cryogenic testing in October.[7][8] Booster 14 rolled out to OLP-1 and conducted a successful spin prime test and static fire in early December.[9] It then returned to the production site for final pre-flight modifications.[10] Ship 33 also underwent a combination of spin prime and static fire tests later in the month.[11][12] On January 10, S33 and B14 performed a wet dress rehearsal.[13]
NASA imaging of Starship
[edit]For this launch, NASA plans to use a specially equipped Gulfstream V aircraft (N95NA[14]) to capture images of the Starship's re-entry and peak-heating. The aircraft will be positioned to observe the spacecraft as it emerges over the horizon and splashes down in the eastern Indian Ocean in the early morning hours. To ensure optimal imaging conditions, the aircraft must fly with its exterior and interior lights extinguished. This poses significant safety risks, requiring a waiver from aviation authorities and stringent procedures to prevent other aircraft from entering the flight path.[15]
NASA has requested an expedited waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to commence practice flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Southwest Texas in early December. Subsequently, the aircraft will be flown to Perth, Australia on January 3 for additional practice flights in the actual landing zone, ahead of the targeted Flight Test 7 on January 13, 2025. If the FAA approves the waiver, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority has indicated its willingness to honor the exemption, allowing for both practice flights and the imaging flight during Flight Test 7.[15]
Mission profile
[edit]The mission profile for flight test 7 will be similar to that of the previous launch, targeting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean while also attempting an in-space engine relight. Additionally, S33 will deploy ten Starlink "simulators", which will also reenter over the Indian Ocean.[1]
Flight timeline
[edit]| Time | Event[1] | January 15, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| −01:15:00 | Flight director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading | Planned |
| −00:44:59 | Starship oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start | Planned |
| −00:42:20 | Starship fuel (liquid methane) load start | Planned |
| −00:41:24 | Super Heavy fuel (liquid methane) load start | Planned |
| −00:35:28 | Super Heavy oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start | Planned |
| −00:19:40 | Super Heavy and Starship engine chill | Planned |
| −00:03:20 | Starship propellant load complete | Planned |
| −00:02:50 | Super Heavy propellant load complete | Planned |
| −00:00:30 | Flight director verifies go for launch | Planned |
| −00:00:10 | Flame deflector activation | Planned |
| −00:00:03 | Super Heavy engine ignition | Planned |
| +00:00:02 | Liftoff | Planned |
| +00:01:02 | Throttle down for max q during ascent (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) | Planned |
| +00:02:32 | Super Heavy most engines cutoff (MECO) | Planned |
| +00:02:40 | Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging) | Planned |
| +00:02:46 | Super Heavy boostback burn start | Planned |
| +00:03:29 | Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown | Planned |
| +00:03:31 | Hot-stage jettison | Planned |
| +00:06:26 | Super Heavy is transonic | — |
| +00:06:35 | Super Heavy landing burn start | Planned |
| +00:06:55 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and catch | Planned |
| +00:08:53 | Starship engine cutoff (SECO) | Planned |
| +00:17:33 | Starlink simulator satellites deploy demo | Planned |
| +00:37:33 | Raptor in-space relight demo | Planned |
| +00:47:14 | Starship atmospheric reentry | Planned |
| +01:03:12 | Starship is transonic | — |
| +01:04:25 | Starship is subsonic | — |
| +01:06:13 | Starship landing flip | Planned |
| +01:06:19 | Starship landing burn | Planned |
| +01:06:39 | Starship splashdown | Planned |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Starship's Seventh Flight Test". SpaceX.com. SpaceX. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Musk, Elon [@elonmusk] (January 2, 2025). "Good observation" (Tweet). Retrieved January 2, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Starship's Most Daring Flight Yet! | This Week in Spaceflight". YouTube. November 22, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ Weber, Ryan (December 19, 2024). "FAA gives Flight 7 the Go Ahead, SpaceX to complete final steps ahead of launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ McCrea, Aaron (July 31, 2024). "Successful Static Fire Leads to Final Preparation Before Full Stack". NASASpaceflight. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ New Starship Block 2 Cryo Proof Tested. NASASpaceflight. October 31, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ House, Marcus (October 5, 2024). Good or bad news for Starship Flight 5?, SpaceX Ground Themselves!?, and Vulcan Flight 2 Success!. Retrieved October 5, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Bergin, Chris (October 9, 2024). "Starship readying for Flight 5 amid future preparations". NASASpaceflight. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ SpaceX Tests Booster 14 – Spin Prime. NASASpaceflight. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Weber, Ryan (December 10, 2024). "Ship 33 prepares for engine testing, Booster 14 Completes Static Fire". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Ship 33 Test Campaign Begins. NASASpaceflight. December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ SpaceX's Starship Prepares for Flight 7: Testing & Expansion at Starbase. NASASpaceflight. December 16, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Starship Wet Dress Rehearsal ft. The Flame Trench". YouTube. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "FAA Registry (N95NA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- ^ a b McCrea, Aaron (November 27, 2024). "Starbase continues its rapid pace of advancement after Starship Flight 6". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
| Launch vehicles |
|  | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spacecraft |
| |||||||||
| Test vehicles |
| |||||||||
| Rocket engines | ||||||||||
| Lists of missions | ||||||||||
| Launch facilities |
| |||||||||
| Landing sites |
| |||||||||
| Other facilities |
| |||||||||
| Support |
| |||||||||
| Contracts | ||||||||||
| R&D programs | ||||||||||
| Key people |
| |||||||||
| Related | ||||||||||
* denotes unflown vehicles or engines, and future missions or sites. † denotes failed missions, destroyed vehicles, and abandoned sites.
| ||||||||||
