Starship flight test 2

This article is about the 2023 full-up Starship+Super Heavy second flight test. For the 2019 second flight test of the Starship segment, see List of Starship upper stage flight tests.

Starship flight test 2
Flight 2 vehicle ascent
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorSpaceX
Mission duration8 minutes, 5 seconds (achieved)
90 minutes (planned)
Orbits completed0
<1 (planned)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftStarship Ship 25
Spacecraft typeStarship
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch date13:02:50, November 18, 2023 (2023-11-18T13:02:50) UTC (7:02:50 am CST)
RocketSuper Heavy (B9)
Launch siteStarbase, OLP-A
End of mission
Destroyed13:10:55, November 18, 2023 (13:10:55) (2023-11-18T13:10:55 13:10:55) UTC (9:10:55 am CST)[1]
Orbital parameters
RegimeTransatmospheric Earth orbit (planned)
Periapsis altitude-1,750 km (1,090 mi) (achieved)[2]
50 km (31 mi) (planned)
Apoapsis altitude149 km (93 mi) (achieved)[2][3]
250 km (160 mi) (planned)
Inclination26.5°[2]

Mission patch
Video of the launch

Starship flight test 2 was the second flight test of the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. SpaceX performed the flight test on November 18, 2023.[4] The mission's primary objectives were for the vehicle to hot stage—a new addition to Starship's flight profile—followed by the second stage attaining a near-orbital trajectory with a controlled reentry over the Pacific Ocean, while the booster does a boostback burn with a propulsive splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.[5][6][7]

The vehicle successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster and made it through stage separation. The booster was planned to land on the Gulf of Mexico, but instead exploded during its boostback burn. The Starship second stage continued to accelerate for over 8 minutes, reaching an altitude of 149 km (93 mi).[2] Towards the end of the second stage burn the Ship vented excess liquid oxygen, resulting in a fire and loss of the vehicle.[8]

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement confirming that an anomaly had occurred and that there were no reports of public property damage or injuries.[9] The FCC considered the launch as a failure and used this as a rationale for rejecting SpaceX Starlink as eligible for large US rural broadband internet subsidies.[10] Shortly after the launch, SpaceX made a statement on their website saying that "success comes from what we learn" from a "test like this".[11]

  1. ^ Clark, Steve (February 27, 2024). "FAA demands 17 'corrective actions' from SpaceX in Starship mishap investigation". The Monitor. AIM Media Texas. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d McDowell, Jonathan (December 15, 2023). "Jonathan's Space Report No. 827" (TXT). Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  3. ^ SpaceX (November 18, 2023). Starship's Second Flight Test (Twitter Broadcast). Starbase, TX.
  4. ^ Wall, Mike (November 16, 2023). "SpaceX's 2nd Starship launch on Nov. 18: How it will work". Space.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  5. ^ Harwood, William (November 15, 2023). "With launch license in hand, SpaceX plans second test flight of Starship rocket Saturday". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  6. ^ Amos, Jonathan (November 18, 2023). "Elon Musk's Starship rocket to make second flight". BBC News. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  7. ^ Roulette, Joey (November 15, 2023). "US FAA okays SpaceX license for second launch of Starship Super Heavy". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference sn20240113 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Federal Aviation Administration [@FAANews] (November 18, 2023). "FAA IFT-2 Anomaly Statement" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Coldewey, Devin (December 12, 2023). "FCC issues final denial of $885M Starlink subsidy". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  11. ^ "Starship Flight 2". SpaceX. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and this flight test will help us improve Starship's reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary. Data review is ongoing as we look for improvements to make for the next flight.