On June sixth, 2024, the fourth orbital check flight of the Starship efficiently lifted off at 07:50 a.m. CT (08:50 a.m. EDT; 06:50 PDT) from SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas. This check was the primary time the Starship (SN29) and Tremendous Heavy (BN11) prototypes reentered Earth’s environment and landed efficiently. Whereas the SN29 performed a powered vertical touchdown earlier than splashing down within the Indian Ocean, the BN11 executed the same powered touchdown earlier than splashing down within the Gulf of Mexico. In a latest tweet, Elon Musk shared a photograph of the BN11 booster being pulled out of the ocean.
Information of the retrieval was posted through Elon Musk’s X account, the place he hinted at the potential for refurbishment and reuse, writing, “Fixer higher.” Along with being the primary flight check wherein each automobiles made it again in a single piece, this flight was additionally the primary time {that a} Tremendous Heavy booster simulated a touchdown at a “digital tower.” Sooner or later, SpaceX intends to retrieve its boosters by “catching” them with the Orbital Launch Mount tower at their Starbase facility. That is anticipated to happen for the primary time throughout the fifth built-in flight check, scheduled for no sooner than late November 2024.
The flight check was initially scheduled for September however was delayed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) till November because of environmental complaints and the licensing course of. In line with statements by the FAA and SpaceX, the corporate was already approved to conduct a number of flights utilizing the identical mission profile they adopted for the fourth flight check. Nevertheless, including an tried “catch” has led the FAA to conduct a extra thorough assessment of the flight and the launch facility.
