SpaceX is gearing up to launch Starship for its seventh test flight, attempting to deploy Starlink mock-ups from the rocket for the first time.
Starship is set for liftoff as early as Friday, January 10, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X in late December. The past few launches have been a treat, and SpaceX is ready to take it up a notch for lucky number seven. “A block of planned upgrades to the Starship upper stage will debut on this flight test, bringing major improvements to reliability and performance,” SpaceX wrote in a statement.
For the seventh test flight, SpaceX will launch a “new generation ship with significant upgrades,” the company added. Those upgrades include a smaller forward flap that’s located higher up on the rocket to reduce heating during its reentry. Starship’s propulsion system was upgraded to hold 25% more fuel, along with improved avionics for better valve control and sensor readings, boosting performance and enabling longer missions, according to SpaceX.
Starship’s heat shield will also use new, upgraded tiles, with a backup layer underneath in case any of the tiles fall off or sustain damage during reentry. SpaceX also carried out a “complete redesign” of Starship’s avionics to include a “more powerful flight computer,” and integrated antennas to combine Starlink, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and backup radio frequency communication functions into each unit.
During the upcoming test flight, SpaceX will attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test. For this test, the rocket will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, which will be similar in size and weight to the company’s next-generation satellites. The simulators, however, will not remain in orbit, but are designed to reenter on a similar suborbital trajectory as the rocket itself.
The company made significant progress with Starship last year. The rocket’s last test flight took place on November 20, 2024, and although the company opted out of performing a booster catch, the suborbital launch was still considered a success. Earlier in October 2024, Starship launched for a groundbreaking fifth test flight. For the first time, the rocket’s Super Heavy 232-foot-tall (71 meters) booster was caught mid-air by giant mechanical arms.
SpaceX plans on retrieving and reusing both Starship’s booster and its upper stage. Musk has already stated SpaceX’s goal of catching the upper stage using Mechazilla (the nickname for the launch and catch mount) sometime this year. SpaceX has big plans for its megarocket this year, hoping to launch it up to 25 times in 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration is holding a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss the prospect of increasing the number of annual Starship launches.
