Elon Musk plans ‘profound’ Starship launch on Friday 13
SpaceX is planning its most ambitious Starship launch to date on 13 November, according to one of the company's executives.
The Friday 13th launch will mark the first attempt to catch both the Starship rocket and its Super Heavy booster with the launch tower.
SpaceX boss Elon Musk has described Starship Flight 15 as a "profound technology milestone" in rocket science and space exploration, with rocket reusability being a key part of achieving his Moon and Mars ambitions .
"Success is not guaranteed on these first flights, but I'd say it's more likely than not that this succeeds," he said in October.
"If not, we have a steady stream of Starship flight attempts through the end of this year and then accelerating next year."
Speaking at the UP Summit at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Thursday, SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev revealed the date of the flight test, Ars Technica's Eric Berger , who was in attendance.
SpaceX is aiming to have Starship fully operational ahead of Nasa's Artemis III mission, which has a target launch date no earlier than June 2027.
The mission will see an uncrewed Starship attempt to dock with four astronauts aboard the US space agency's Orion spacecraft.
Nasa then hopes to use Starship to send astronauts to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis IV mission in 2028, though doubts have been raised about the spacecraft's suitability for the attempt.
Recent estimates from Nasa's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel suggested that SpaceX will need to perform 22 refueling missions in space in order to get Starship to the Moon.
An illustration of two Starship rockets docked in orbit (SpaceX)
Mr Musk claimed in a post to X that the actual number of refueling missions "will be more like six to eight", with this figure potentially set to be tested for the upcoming Starship Flight 15.
A test of the in-orbit propellant transfer system could form part of the Starship test flight.
SpaceX is yet to share the official flight plan or date for the mission, though launches and landings are typically live streamed on the company's website.
