SpaceX Gears Up For Fourth Starship Test Flight – Might Fire Up Test Rocket Today!

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Following a successful third test flight approximately two weeks ago, SpaceX continues to make progress in their efforts to launch the world’s largest rocket for a fourth time in Texas. The company’s Starship is currently being developed in Boca Chica, Texas, and just two weeks after the third flight, they have already begun testing the second stage Starship that is planned for the fourth launch, known as IFT-4. Yesterday, SpaceX conducted a successful static fire test of the second stage Starship, and notices sent to nearby residents indicate that another test may take place today in preparation for a crucial test objective during IFT-4.

SpaceX Successfully Fires Second Stage Rocket for Second Time in IFT-4 Campaign

Despite having completed three successful full stack Starship tests, SpaceX still has several important objectives to fulfill in order to continue with the rocket’s development. These objectives include testing the rocket’s re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, evaluating its onboard satellite launch system, conducting a demonstration of in space propellant transfer, and simulating a landing of the Super Heavy booster.

Currently, the second stage Starship has not yet utilized its single engine in space, and the Super Heavy has not reignited all of its engines for a landing maneuver. These actions are critical for the success of the rocket, as failure to land the booster means the first stage Starship will not be reusable and significantly raise the cost per launch of the rocket.

Prior to the launch of IFT-3, SpaceX announced that preparations were already underway for the next flight. As expected, the company has now initiated testing of the second stage Starship, conducting a static fire test earlier this week in Texas. This critical test evaluates the functionality of the rocket’s fuel, piping, engine, and other systems to ensure they are ready for launch.

Full-duration static fire of all six Raptor engines on Flight 4 Starship pic.twitter.com/HzS4SeaoEV

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 25, 2024

It seems that SpaceX is planning to conduct another test of the second stage Starship today, as evidenced by the issuance of overpressure notices to residents in Boca Chica, Texas. These notices, as well as others detailing road closures, have consistently marked significant milestones in the Starship test flight program. In fact, a similar notice was distributed the day before the previous Starship test earlier this week.

Despite the progress made by SpaceX in their second stage Starship tests for IFT-4, the real rocket to keep an eye on is the Super Heavy booster. The successful separation of the second stage during IFT-3 proved the capability of the 33 Raptor engines to power the stage, and although they were able to execute a successful boost back burn, the remainder of their flight did not go as planned.

The live stream from SpaceX revealed that the engines shut down in an unbalanced manner during their reignition and were unable to reignite for a landing burn. While the Falcon 9 is known for its reliability, the Starship Super Heavy is designed to be caught by its launch tower for recovery. However, successfully reorienting itself for a vertical catch has proven to be a challenge for SpaceX, as they have yet to demonstrate this capability.

As stated by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell, the fourth Starship test flight has the potential to occur as early as May. This gives the company just over a month to make any necessary adjustments to their vehicles before the launch. If this schedule is met, it will also accelerate the pace of Starship launches for the rest of the year.