Launch Date: March 14
Launch Window: 7:00 am CDT (9:00 am EST, 13:00 UTC)
Launch site: LC-1 - Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas
Core Booster Recovery: Expended in Gulf with a landing burn
Starship Recovery: A controlled reentry through the atmosphere to a terminal velocity splashdown in the Indian Ocean
Booster: Super Heavy Booster 10
Starship: Starship 28
Mass: No mass simulator mentioned
Orbit: LEO-ish
Yearly Launch Number: 26
A SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship launch vehicle will launch on its third not quite orbital integrated flight test designated IFT-3. The mission will attempt to place Starship into a nearly orbital trajectory that will attempt a controlled reentry through the atmosphere to a terminal velocity splashdown in the Indian Ocean . The Super Heavy booster will attempt a landing burn in the the Gulf of Mexico where it will likely be destroyed. This is a further test of Stage 0, the booster, full power ascent, Max-Q, stage separation using the new hot staging, a booster stage test of a hard turn and boostback, full burn boost of Starship to space and sub LEO, Starship will do one partial orbit, simulate a de-orbit burn, test tiles and heating from atmospheric reentry, until it has a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
It has also been determined that for this test flight there will be a fuel transfer test done on Starship for NASA's Tipping Part contract. The Starship will also test its payload bay door in zero-G for a test of future Starlink 2.0 deployments.
Launch Window: 7:00 am CDT (9:00 am EST, 13:00 UTC)
Launch site: LC-1 - Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas
Core Booster Recovery: Expended in Gulf with a landing burn
Starship Recovery: A controlled reentry through the atmosphere to a terminal velocity splashdown in the Indian Ocean
Booster: Super Heavy Booster 10
Starship: Starship 28
Mass: No mass simulator mentioned
Orbit: LEO-ish
Yearly Launch Number: 26
A SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship launch vehicle will launch on its third not quite orbital integrated flight test designated IFT-3. The mission will attempt to place Starship into a nearly orbital trajectory that will attempt a controlled reentry through the atmosphere to a terminal velocity splashdown in the Indian Ocean . The Super Heavy booster will attempt a landing burn in the the Gulf of Mexico where it will likely be destroyed. This is a further test of Stage 0, the booster, full power ascent, Max-Q, stage separation using the new hot staging, a booster stage test of a hard turn and boostback, full burn boost of Starship to space and sub LEO, Starship will do one partial orbit, simulate a de-orbit burn, test tiles and heating from atmospheric reentry, until it has a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
It has also been determined that for this test flight there will be a fuel transfer test done on Starship for NASA's Tipping Part contract. The Starship will also test its payload bay door in zero-G for a test of future Starlink 2.0 deployments.
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