SpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever constructed, is predicted to fly again in June by CEO Elon Musk. The company's Starship and Super Heavy have been grounded since March due to an FAA investigation following the third uncrewed orbital test flight. Musk posted images of the rocket being moved back to the Starbase launchpad in Texas, suggesting a timeline of three to five weeks for the next launch.
Starship, which stands nearly 400 feet tall when stacked with its Super Heavy booster, has a hit-or-miss track record when it comes to predicting launch dates. The rocket's third test flight resulted in a grounding by the FAA. Previous predictions for the fourth flight have ranged from early May to June.
The improvements made to Starship and Starbase before its second test flight, such as the installation of a water-cooled steel plate beneath the launch pad, and its relative success in that test suggest a similar timeline of around three months for the current investigation. This would put it in line to close in June.
Starship's fourth flight is expected to carry ambitious goals, including surviving reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Both Starship and Super Heavy are designed for rapid reuse after launching.
Elsewhere, Musk announced that the next generation of SpaceX's Starship rockets will be taller than the Great Pyramids of Giza. The rocket can carry a payload of roughly 150 tonnes and has enough internal volume for up to 100 passengers. Musk plans to build a fleet of hundreds of Starship rockets, each capable of rapid reuse after launching.
SpaceX has secured multi-billion dollar contracts with NASA to use Starship to transport crew and cargo to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program. Musk's ultimate goal is to establish a permanent human colony on Mars in his lifetime before 2050.
The most significant obstacle remaining for Starship is the heat shields that cover the rocket. During its last orbital flight test, cameras showed heat shields falling off during reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
