Prime Highlights:

SpaceX will launch Starship Flight 7 from Starbase in South Texas.

The mission will feature Starship’s first attempt at deploying mock Starlink satellites into space.

Flight 7 will use a reused Raptor engine from a previous Starship test flight.

Key Background:

SpaceX has announced plans to launch its Starship mega rocket for the seventh time on January 13, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the company’s quest to enable human space exploration beyond Earth. The launch is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) from Starbase, SpaceX’s manufacturing and launch site in South Texas. The company has confirmed that it will webcast the mission live, starting approximately 35 minutes before liftoff.

Starship, standing at 400 feet (122 meters), is a fully reusable megarocket designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The upcoming test flight, Flight 7, follows six previous flights, which were conducted over the past two years, with the most recent launches taking place in 2023 and late 2024.

This mission will attempt several firsts for Starship. Notably, the spacecraft will deploy 10 mock satellites into space, which are designed to simulate the size and weight of next-generation Starlink satellites. This marks the first time Starship will demonstrate satellite deployment in orbit as part of its planned role in building SpaceX’s Starlink broadband constellation. The simulated satellites will follow the same suborbital trajectory as Starship before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

Additionally, SpaceX will attempt to capture the Super Heavy booster again, a feat successfully completed during the October 2024 launch. A similar attempt during the November 2024 mission was thwarted by a communication issue with the launch tower. This upcoming launch will also feature reused hardware on the Super Heavy booster, including a Raptor engine from Starship’s fifth test flight, which will mark the first reuse of hardware on a Super Heavy booster.

Flight 7 will be a part of a busy week for SpaceX, with other high-profile missions such as the debut of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket scheduled for January 10, and a Falcon 9 launch sending private moon landers into space on January 15. The successful execution of these missions will demonstrate Starship’s growing capabilities and bring SpaceX closer to its goal of making space travel more sustainable and accessible.