Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX will delay its next Starship test launch, which was initially planned for this week. In a livestream on X on Tuesday, Musk announced that the seventh Starship launch would be postponed by "three or four days," likely pushing it to sometime next week. This update follows the original plan to launch Starship for its seventh mission on Friday, after its sixth flight in November. SpaceX aims to significantly increase the number of launches this year.
The backup launch window extends through January 16, meaning the launch could be rescheduled for any day between Monday and Thursday next week.
Importantly, this seventh launch will mark the first time SpaceX attempts to deploy a payload with Starship. The company plans to deploy up to 10 Starlink simulators as part of a test to assess the reusable spacecraft's deployment capabilities. Unlike previous missions, Starship will aim for a splashdown in the Indian Ocean rather than being caught by the "Mechazilla" arm.
After the last launch, SpaceX informed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of its intention to secure approval for up to 25 Starship launches per year.
During the sixth Starship flight, SpaceX opted not to catch the rocket, instead achieving a successful splashdown of the Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico. The company later emphasized that a "faster and harder" booster catch remains a primary goal. Musk mentioned that SpaceX plans "one more ocean landing of the ship" before attempting another catch. Before the flight, Musk outlined four key objectives for the test:
- Restarting the Raptor engines in vacuum.
- Daylight landing of the ship.
- Higher peak heating during a steeper reentry.
- A faster and harder booster catch.
