Starship | Sixth Flight Test

The sixth flight test of Starship launched from Starbase on November 19, 2024, seeking to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online.

The Super Heavy booster successfully lifted off at the start of the launch window, with all 33 Raptor engines powering it and Starship off the pad from Starbase. Following a nominal ascent and stage separation, the booster successfully transitioned to its boostback burn to begin the return to launch site. During this phase, automated health checks of critical hardware on the launch and catch tower triggered an abort of the catch attempt. The booster then executed a pre-planned divert maneuver, performing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Starship completed another successful ascent, placing it on the expected trajectory. The ship successfully reignited a single Raptor engine while in space, demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn before starting fully orbital missions. With live views and telemetry being relayed by Starlink, the ship successfully made it through reentry and executed a flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

Data gathered from the multiple thermal protection experiments, as well as the successful flight through subsonic speeds at a more aggressive angle of attack, provides invaluable feedback on flight hardware performing in a flight environment as we aim for eventual ship return and catch.

With data and flight learnings as our primary payload, Starship’s sixth flight test once again delivered. Lessons learned will directly make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability.

[yoboi]

Please start streaming launches again

Edit; I’m seeing all of they’re streaming on x. Thanks everyone

[thejesuschrist]

these are never going to stop giving me the chills

[Bbarian]

From a small tent in the middle of nowhere to a full blown factory town, I've been here since the very beginning of the Starship programme in 2018 and what a journey it's been, and it just keeps on giving and I'm all for it. Go SpaceX!

[nick]

This footage is absolutely breathtaking. The plasma flow and all the colors literally makes me speechless.

[devinhallsworth]

1:17 That view of the starship coming down belly first towards the camera is the coolest thing.

[DavidRamirez-lqco]

I paniked thinking it was the next one

[RyeOnHam]

Whoever puts this together, it makes me emotional every time. Can't wait for flight 100.

[Blob]

That shot at 1:28 is amazing - seeing the ship burnt to a crisp but still working

[shawntw]

I've just binged these and its just proving insane how much progress they've made between each launch.

[FarmBuilder]

Was just down at starbase the other day. Awesome to see all the progress!

[pimisi]

@1:16. That view of Starship descending from the clouds and flipping, always thrills me. We’ve only been used to something like this from CGI, but knowing this is real is breathtaking.

[HowBoutDemBoyzz]

Please co stream future launches to YouTube and x please. We all miss the quality and reliability of a YouTube stream.

[iinflache]

0:40 I love the atmosphere that the video editor gave to this passage until the atmospheric descent, I would have liked to see more 😊

[thadofalltrades]

wow that shot from below the starship was amazing.

[Barthhhelona]

I love these recap videos, mostly because you spot new angles and camera footage that have never before been seen publicly. Looking at 0:21 amazing engine bay view at liftoff!! Also, looks like they had some kind of drone footage of the starship after it belly flopped and floated in the ocean @1:42

[Space_OdJobs]

Those shots of the Moon and the Sun, plus the drone angle of Boca Chica coast with the sounds of ocean waves and seagull at the beginning of the live webcast really made it up to the missed spectacle that is, the booster tower catch.

[thedarkside]

Imagine when we first hear: "The Starship has landed on Mars."

[LibertyEver]

Go SpaceX! Go Starship!

Eagerly awaiting flight test 7!

[surrealengineering]

That belly flop looked very aggressive. I love it.

[Ultrex_Idk]

Still bummed out that there’s no booster catch, but the daylight ship shots were amazing!