SpaceX's next-generation upper-stage Starship spacecraft, which should soon fly on future flights, has been fully unveiled at the firm's facilities in Texas. The Starship upper stage is the world's first and only upper stage spacecraft capable of being reused, and the key to this capability is ensuring that the ship returns to Earth intact.
On this front, several Starship tests have seen the upper stage's forward grid fins catch fire, and the new ship will rectify this by ensuring that vulnerable regions point away from the fast and hot air that flows around them during atmospheric reentry.
SpaceX's Next Generation Starship Upper Stage Spacecraft Pictured With Fins Pointing Away From Heatshield
Starship's landing profile requires the rocket to maneuver itself through the atmosphere to first withstand extremely hot air and plasma and then orient itself for a vertical landing. Key to this operation is its fins, particularly those located at the top, or the forward portion of the spacecraft. Among other maneuvers, the fins are also responsible for the iconic 'flip' maneuver that shifts Starship upper stage's orientation from horizontal to vertical during its landing.
Since Starship Flight 4 was the first in which the upper stage survived atmospheric reentry, it was also the first that tested the fins to their limit. During the test, the fins surpassed expectations as they managed to land the ship despite being severely damaged. This damage was from hot air flowing in the region between the fin and Starship's body. In an interview before Flight 4, Elon Musk revealed that future Starship designs would upgrade the fin design to avoid the anomaly.
With Flight 5, SpaceX made a series of changes on the upper stage. While the flap design was unchanged, additional insulation and other changes fortified the fin against similar damage to Flight 4. This was a success, as in Starship Flight 5, the fin survived mostly intact and SpaceX successfully splashed the Starship upper stage down in the water for the second time. The splashdown was iconic in itself as it provided the firm with more confidence to eventually bring Starship back to the launch site for a tower catch similar to the booster.
While the new Starship upper stage will not fly on Flight 6, true to form, SpaceX has kept up with its pace of rapid iteration development and rolled the rocket out of its assembly facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Fresh images of the ship from local media show the fins pointing away from the heat shield. This is the biggest upgrade to the Starship second stage's exterior since SpaceX started its integrated flight test campaign. It also follows Musk's comments where he had confirmed that Starship fins would be "shifted leeward" to avoid damage.
SpaceX has also static fired its Starship Super Heavy first stage booster for Flight 6. A static fire is one of the final steps before a launch, but it does not imply a launch is imminent. However, if SpaceX keeps Flight 6's mission profile unchanged over Flight 5, a launch could occur before 2024's close as the FAA has already cleared a future launch based on this contingency.
Starship 33 at Massey's test site this morning for cryo testing.
10/26/24 pic.twitter.com/jttJFPZAuq
— Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) October 26, 2024
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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