SpaceX targeting Nov. 18 for next Starship megarocket launch

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The upcoming flight will feature another dramatic booster catch, if all goes to plan.

a huge rocket comes in for a landing beside its seaside launch tower
SpaceX's Starship Flight 5 Super Heavy booster approaches its launch tower for the first-ever landing and capture at the pad after launching on a suborbital test flight from Starbase in South Texas on Oct. 13, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Editor's note: SpaceX announced on the night of Nov. 15 that it's now targeting Nov. 19 for the Starship launch. The launch window runs from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. EST (2100 to 2130 GMT) on that day.

SpaceX's Starship megarocket will fly for the sixth time ever less than two weeks from now, if all goes according to plan.

Elon Musk's company announced today (Nov. 6) that it's targeting Nov. 18 for the next Starship test flight, which will lift off from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas.

The 30-minute launch window will open at 5 p.m. EST (2100 GMT; 4 p.m. local Texas time), SpaceX wrote in an update today. The company will stream the launch live, beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff.

The 400-foot-tall (122 meters) Starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. The stainless-steel vehicle consists of two fully reusable elements: a huge booster called Super Heavy and a 165-foot-tall (50 m) upper stage known as Starship, or simply Ship. Both of these stages are powered by SpaceX's next-gen Raptor engine — 33 for Super Heavy and six for Ship.

Related: Starship and Super Heavy explained

A fully stacked Starship has launched five times to date, in April and November of 2023 and March, June and October of this year. The vehicle has performed better on each successive flight, and the most recent one, which took place on Oct. 13, featured a landmark moment in spaceflight history: Super Heavy came back for a controlled landing beside its launch tower, which caught the the booster with its "chopstick" arms.

Flight 6 will feature another booster catch, if all goes according to plan.

"The next Starship flight test aims to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online," SpaceX wrote in today's update.

"Objectives include the booster once again returning to the launch site for catch, reigniting a ship Raptor engine while in space, and testing a suite of heatshield experiments and maneuvering changes for ship reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean," the company added.

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— SpaceX catches giant Starship booster with 'Chopsticks' on historic Flight 5 rocket launch and landing (video)

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The Flight 6 Starship features some improvements over its predecessors, according to the update.

"Hardware upgrades for this flight add additional redundancy to booster propulsion systems, increase structural strength at key areas, and shorten the timeline to offload propellants from the booster following a successful catch," SpaceX wrote. "Mission designers also updated software controls and commit criteria for the booster’s launch and return."

Eventually, SpaceX wants to land both Super Heavy and Ship directly on the launch mount, to speed up the inspection, refurbishment and reflight process. The company believes that Starship's combination of power and efficiency will revolutionize spaceflight, helping humanity colonize Mars and achieve a variety of other bold exploration feats.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • StrandedonEarth
    Definitely looking forward to this. I hope the in-space relight goes well, as that appears to be the next major hurdle to clear.
    Reply
  • James Parker
    The regulatory environment is about to get 100% better. Probably just did. More cash & contracts may also be in the offering, including a Mars contract. This could be a very active period for SpaceX and Starship. What can they accomplish in the next 4 years? Moon landing using Starship only? Mars mission?
    Reply
  • Unclear Engineer
    I think the FAA already has approved the flight programs that have Ship come down in the Indian Ocean and SuperHeavy return to Boca Chica. So, the regulatory delays would not seem to apply until SpaceX changes the flight plan.

    Restarting the Ship's rocket motor(s) while in free fall in space is needed before putting Ship into a stable orbit, so that there is confidence that it can do a retro burn to deorbit. Once that is proven, the FAA will probably need to issue a different license for orbital missions.
    Reply
  • RenagadePilot
    Admin said:
    SpaceX's Starship megarocket will fly for the sixth time ever on Nov. 18, on a test flight that will include another dramatic booster catch.

    SpaceX targeting Nov. 18 for next Starship megarocket launch : Read more
    so, would that require 2 towers to catch Both crafts? or is there enough of a expected delay /between operations before you could catch the Starship?
    Reply
  • Unclear Engineer
    They have built a second tower. And I doubt they would have StarShip land directly above a SuperHeavy booster still on the pad from its earlier catch - at least not on the first try to catch a StarShip.

    But, that does bring up the issue of how they intend to work the process when it is fully operational and they are looking at very short turnaround times between recoveries and launches. It seems like the refurbishment of a SuperHeavy would be somewhat delayed by having to stand clear while a StarShip comes in above it. And it definitely increases the damage if a StarShip recovery has a "mishap".
    Reply