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2h ago

SpaceX Sets Weekend Starship Flight 10 Test as Falcon 9 Targets Vandenberg Starlink Launch

FAA’s closure of the Flight 9 probe sets the stage for SpaceX to push new reusability tests on Starship.

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Overview

  • Starship Flight 10 is targeted for Sunday, Aug. 24, with an hourlong window opening at 7:30 p.m. ET from Starbase in South Texas.
  • SpaceX plans experimental Super Heavy landing-burn trials, a controlled Gulf of Mexico splashdown for the booster, and an Indian Ocean splashdown for the upper stage.
  • The upper stage objectives include deploying eight Starlink simulators, attempting a Raptor engine relight, and trialing modified heat-shield tiles and fittings during reentry.
  • The FAA has closed mishap investigations into Flight 9, and SpaceX says it has implemented hardware and operational changes after recent flight and ground test failures.
  • A separate Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg was targeted for Friday, Aug. 22, to send 24 Starlink satellites to orbit using booster B1081 with a droneship landing planned on Of Course I Still Love You, with Vandenberg warning nearby counties about possible sonic booms.