SpaceX has filed with the US Federal Communications Commission for a test flight that will put a prototype Starship rocket into orbit. This is according to FCC documents. It is not clear when the mission is to take place.
The documents indicate that the launch will take place at the SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. After just under three minutes, the main engine cutoff will occur where the booster rocket will be disconnected and landed in the Gulf of Mexico via a touchdown about 20 miles off the US coast. It’s not clear if the booster will land on a landing pad there.
The Starship rocket prototype will continue its flight to Earth orbit over the Florida Straits. After the rocket enters orbit, the documents say it will initiate the soft landing procedure to land in the Pacific Ocean “about 100 kilometers” from the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The entire test flight would take approximately 90 minutes. It is not stated when the flight will take place.
SpaceX says it wants to collect as much data as possible with this test flight because, according to the company, it is “very difficult” to predict or imitate such flights via computer models. According to SpaceX, the collected data could lead to changes in the design of the means of transport and future flight plans.