<\/p>\nThis launch is, as you would expect, the most ambitious so far. SpaceX is aiming to carry out a successful first and second stage launch, taking Starship into space, where it will open and close its payload door as a test, shuffle fuel from one tank to another as a first step towards the eventual refuelling of one Starship by another \u2013 which will be vital for long-range missions \u2013 and relight its engines for a controlled re-entry to Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n
This launch will follow a new trajectory that will see the second stage splash down in the Indian Ocean. While it is designed to be a reusable craft, this mission aims to have it make a slow and controlled landing on the ocean rather than on land or a ship. This is easier and safer at this stage of development.<\/p>\n
What happened when Starship launched before?<\/h2>\n
There have been two Starship launches, both ending in failure, although that is an expected part of SpaceX\u2019s fail-fast, learn-fast strategy.<\/p>\n
The first launch on 20 April last year saw three engines on the first stage \u2013 from a total of 33 \u2013 fail to ignite. Several more subsequently failed during the flight. The rocket then span out of control, causing a self-destruct safeguard to kick in, something that SpaceX sardonically calls a rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD). The whole flight lasted around 3 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 39 kilometres.<\/p>\n
Starship\u2019s second launch was on 18 November. This time, all 33 engines fired and the rocket flew long enough for the first and second stages to separate. But, as the first stage rotated to begin its slowdown and landing procedure, it exploded. The second stage successfully continued to an altitude of about 149 kilometres \u2013 passing the K\u00e1rm\u00e1n line that marks the beginning of space \u2013 but a safeguard feature destroyed it when it stopped sending back data, before it had a chance to complete an orbit or make its way back to Earth.<\/p>\n
What happens if this launch goes wrong?<\/h2>\n
It probably will go wrong, in some respect. It is highly unlikely that Starship will complete its mission flawlessly. But any failure will supply data and experience that can be used to improve the design and processes for the fourth launch. SpaceX has so far shown that it can iterate rapidly and make big progress with every launch.<\/p>\n\nTopics:<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n