Elon Musk Sets New Goal for Massive Starship Rocket

The SpaceX CEO wants the fourth test flight of Starship to end in the spacecraft’s safe recovery on Earth, a feat that has thus far eluded the company.

Jack Daleo

Friday, March 29, 2024 at 03:38 PM ET

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SpaceX performs a static fire test on one of the Starship upper stage’s six Raptor engines. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX is preparing for the fourth integrated test flight (IFT-4) of its Starship rocket as early as May, with the primary goal of the spacecraft surviving atmospheric reentry.
Recent static fire tests have been completed for IFT-4, following the third flight which successfully reached orbit, performed key maneuvers like propellant transfer, and initiated reentry before communications were lost.
The upcoming flight requires FAA clearance following a mishap investigation, but Elon Musk aims for an aggressive schedule of six Starship launches this year.

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has hinted at the goals for the next integrated test flight of the company’s Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster, which together form the largest and most powerful spacecraft ever built.

Starship’s next mission, IFT-4, will be the massive rocket’s fourth since it made its maiden voyage in April 2023. The spacecraft launched for the third time in March, but it was also grounded by the FAA for a third time after SpaceX was unable to recover the rocket and booster when they reentered the atmosphere.