Today, SpaceX, a subsidiary of Elon Musk, announced the completion of pre test propellant load testing and pre flight inspection for the Starship, indicating that this fully reusable rocket is ready for its sixth flight test. The testing task will be conducted at 4:00 pm local time on November 19th (6:00 am the next day in Beijing), which is one day later than the original plan.
It is reported that the flight plan has been postponed due to weather conditions. Nevertheless, this flight still has the opportunity to set a record for the fastest preparation time in the history of super heavy boosters and starships, with only 37 days between the last flight mission (fifth flight test). SpaceX completed its fifth Starship mission in mid October and obtained launch permits for missions 5 and 6 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Like the last test flight, the sixth flight test will once again perform the "chopstick pick rocket", which attempts to use the tower arm to catch the first stage interstellar spacecraft's super heavy booster and allow the second stage interstellar spacecraft to land softly in the Indian Ocean. Differently, this flight will also test the reignition of the Raptor engine on the second stage interstellar spacecraft, thus testing the spacecraft's endurance limit. This will demonstrate the potential of spacecraft engines in space operations.
In addition, according to SpaceX, the spacecraft will fly at a much steeper angle during its re-entry into the atmosphere to test its flaps (movable devices on the wing edges) and collect data for future tests. It is reported that SpaceX's second-generation Starship will carry a larger propellant tank, new tiles, redesigned top flaps, and additional thermal protection layer during its seventh test flight.
Continuous evolution of commercial aerospace and dense networking of low orbit satellites
According to SpaceX's earlier sharing, the sixth flight will improve the propulsion system, upgrade the structure, and shorten the propellant unloading time after the booster is captured. In other words, the rocket launch efficiency may be further improved.
In this regard, Western Securities believes that SpaceX's Starship Test Program means that humans have the ability to send large-scale payloads into space at a lower cost, and the cost of future space missions is expected to be significantly reduced, providing important guarantees for the sustainable development of space exploration. The deployment cost of low rail is expected to be further reduced, and commercial operations will continue to be optimized.
At the same time, domestic private rocket launch projects are intensively underway:
On November 11th, the Lijian-1 Yao-5 carrier rocket was launched into space from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Experimental Zone, successfully sending 15 satellites into their designated orbits. This mission is the first time that China's commercial aerospace enterprises have provided launch services to international users, marking the entry of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket into the international commercial aerospace market.
Star River Power recently completed wind tunnel tests on the aerodynamic characteristics of the reverse jet of the first stage of the reusable carrier rocket "Zhishenxing-1". The sub stage recovery reverse jet aerodynamic prediction technology is one of the key technologies for achieving rocket recovery, which is of great significance for improving the efficiency of rocket recovery and reuse, the accuracy of landing, and the safety of the recovery process.
The Star Glory Hyperbolic III rocket is scheduled to complete its first "orbit insertion+sea recovery" test in December 2025, and its reusable flight test in June 2026, making it the earliest large liquid carrier rocket in China to achieve reusability.
On November 13th, a research report by Zheshang Securities pointed out that breakthroughs have been made in the intensive development of domestic multi satellite launch, sea based launch, and recyclability tests, and the Qianfan constellation has entered the stage of normalized launch. At the same time, low orbit satellites have entered a period of intensive networking, and satellite ground integration has opened up a trillion dollar market.
According to a research report by Zhongtai Securities today, satellite ground integration is a major trend in 6G. The satellite ground integration network is characterized by direct connection of mobile phones to satellites and has entered a period of rapid development. It is recommended to focus on satellite manufacturing, satellite terminals, and other aspects.