SpaceX pencils in the date for its most daring and highest stake Starship launch

SpaceX has provided an update on when it plans on launching Starship for its fifth test flight that will involve attempting to land and catch the booster.

SpaceX pencils in the date for its most daring and highest stake Starship launch
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SpaceX has taken to its website to post an update on when it plans to launch Starship again, the world's largest and most powerful rocket.

The Elon Musk-led company took to its website to state its targeting no earlier than October 13 for the fifth flight of Starship, and that after the success of Flight 4, where SpaceX conducted its first-ever booster soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico, the company is ready to take another step toward achieving full and rapid reusability. SpaceX explains Flight 5's primary objective will be attempting the "first ever return to launch site and catch of the Super Heavy booster."

SpaceX will be attempting to land and catch the 233-foot-tall booster on the Starbase launch pad with "chopstick" arms attached to the Mechazilla tower. While sounding like a sci-fi movie, SpaceX writes its engineers and various teams have "spent years planning and months testing". As for the Super Heavy booster going up in Flight 5, SpaceX says it has implemented new hardware and software into the booster to improve chances of success, and that infrastructure at Starbase has also been significantly improved.

"SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only be attempted if conditions are right," writes SpaceX

The only thing stopping SpaceX from launching Starship is regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It appears SpaceX expects the FAA to grant it a license very soon considering it's already announcing dates for the upcoming launch.

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NEWS SOURCE:spacex.com

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Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms.

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