SpaceX could launch Starship on orbital test flight next week

SpaceX could launch its Mars rocket Starship on its highly anticipated orbital test flight on Monday.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has listed April 10 as the target launch date, with back-up opportunities on Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, the flight will only happen if SpaceX manages to secure its launch licence on time.

Starship is a reusable two-stage rocket system that comprises a booster — the Super Heavy launch vehicle — and a Starship spacecraft.

It is the most powerful launch vehicle developed and will be able to produce 3,991 tonnes of thrust, 15 per cent more than Nasa’s Apollo Moon rocket Saturn V.

Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer at SpaceX, hopes to use the rocket to send humans to the Moon and Mars, and to make humans “a multi-planetary species”.

However, SpaceX first has to prove the rocket is capable of launching safely into space and the orbital test flight is the first step.

Starship was moved to the launch pad earlier this week ahead of the launch attempt.

As part of the test flight, the rocket will launch from Starbase — SpaceX's launch site in Boca Chica, Texas — and the booster will separate from the spacecraft about 170 seconds into the flight.

The booster will then perform a partial return and land in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 32km from the shore.

The orbital Starship will continue flying between the Florida Straits.

It will achieve orbit before performing a powered, targeted, soft-ocean landing about 100km off the north-west coast of Kauai, a Hawaiian island.

On January 24, SpaceX completed a crucial fuelling test of the deep-space rocket ― an important step before an orbital test flight can take place.

Starship was loaded with 4.6 million kg of propellant.

“Starship completed its first full flight-like wet dress rehearsal at Starbase today,” SpaceX said at the time.

“This was the first time an integrated ship and booster were fully loaded with more than 10 million pounds of propellant.

“Today’s test will help verify a full launch countdown sequence, as well as the performance of Starship and the orbital pad for flight-like operations.”

SpaceX is contracted by Nasa to develop the Starship Human Landing System, which would enable astronauts to land on the Moon under the US space agency’s Artemis programme.

Mr Musk has already sold seats on the Starship, including to Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who plans on flying on the first crewed flight to the Moon, taking eight artists with him as part of his dearMoon programme.

American billionaire Jared Isaacman is also working with SpaceX through his Polaris programme, a series of privately-led space missions.

Mr Isaacman will serve as commander on the Polaris III mission - the first crewed flight on the Starship rocket.