SpaceX is set to attempt another Starship test flight on Wednesday, following a last-minute scrub earlier this week. The massive rocket, the most powerful ever built, is scheduled to lift off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, during a launch window opening at 5:30 PM local time (2330 GMT).

A Crucial Test For Spacex’s Deep Space Ambitions

Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, Starship is designed to be a fully reusable launch system capable of carrying cargo and crew to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The upcoming test is part of Elon Musk’s long-term vision of making humanity a multiplanetary species.

SpaceX has made numerous upgrades to the vehicle since its last flight in an effort to improve reliability and performance. The success of Starship is also critical for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon later this decade.

The space agency has selected a modified version of Starship as the lunar lander for its upcoming Artemis III mission, which will see astronauts set foot on the Moon for the first time since 1972.

Challenges and regulatory hurdles

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been closely monitoring Starship’s test program, particularly after the vehicle’s January 16 flight ended in failure. During that attempt, the upper stage of the rocket disintegrated in a fiery cascade over the Caribbean Sea.

Despite the setback, the FAA has given SpaceX the green light to proceed with this next launch, even as it continues its review of the previous test’s failure. The decision highlights the growing influence of Elon Musk, who has frequently criticized regulatory agencies for slowing down progress.

New Upgrades And Mission Objectives

For this test flight, SpaceX has introduced several improvements to Starship’s upper stage, aiming to enhance its reliability and performance.

The mission is expected to last just over one hour and will include another attempt to catch the booster stage using the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms. SpaceX has previously succeeded in recovering the booster stage during two test flights, but refining this maneuver remains a priority.

Another key experiment involves deploying Starlink simulators—test payloads designed to mimic the behavior of Starlink satellites in orbit. Unlike actual satellites, these simulators will burn up upon re-entry, serving as a way for SpaceX to test deployment procedures without adding to space debris.

While Starship is ultimately intended to be fully reusable, this test will end with a controlled splashdown of the upper stage in the Indian Ocean, just off the western coast of Australia. Future flights will focus on recovering the upper stage as well, an essential milestone for making rapid reusability a reality.

The challenge of reusability

A major technical hurdle for SpaceX is developing a fully reusable orbital heat shield, a problem that has never been solved before.

Elon Musk recently emphasized this point during an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, calling it “the toughest engineering challenge” in the company’s pursuit of cost-effective space travel.

Despite these difficulties, Musk remains optimistic that Starship will achieve full and rapid reusability by next year.