SpaceX launches Starship on second integrated flight test

SpaceX on Saturday, November 18, successfully launched the second flight test of a fully integrated Starship - a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both astronauts and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond - and made it through stage separation.

Starship, the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, comprises the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket. Powered by 33 Raptor engines, Super Heavy is the first stage or booster of the Starship launch system and is fully reusable. During today's flight test, the booster experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly shortly after stage separation while Starship's engines fired for several minutes on its way to space, the company said in a series of tweets.

The second flight test also marked the debut of a hot-stage separation system and a new electronic Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system for Super Heavy Raptor engines. The new separation method called hot-staging is where Starship's second-stage engines will ignite to push the ship away from the booster.

Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting second integrated flight test of Starship! Starship successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster and made it through stage separation pic.twitter.com/JnCvLAJXPi

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 18, 2023

Starship can carry up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable. In addition to carrying the crew, Starship is designed to deliver payloads including satellites, telescopes and cargo. The fully reusable transportation system will also help deliver the building blocks for the future Moon base. For interplanetary missions, such as missions to Mars and beyond, the Starship spacecraft can also be refilled in the low-Earth orbit. 

The world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, powered by 33 Raptor engines, lifting off from Starbase pic.twitter.com/PqynIneFln

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2023