SpaceX details all the developments of its new generation Starship

Barring any last-minute unforeseen circumstances, the 7th test flight of the giant Starship rocket will take place on January 10. This date, almost guessed from mid-November, was put forward by Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, in a tweet published at the very end of 2024. Everything is ready, in any case: the launcher has been tested, the authorizations have been given.

During this test, SpaceX's main objective is to reproduce the feat observed during the fifth test. The Starship's first stage (called Super Heavy) had returned to Earth and landed smoothly on the mechanical arms of the launch tower. The reiteration of the maneuver aborted with the sixth test.

Start of SpaceX’s Starship block 2

But this flight will also be an opportunity for the American company to launch a new generation Starship, with an evolution called “block 2”. This hardware update, which we were already talking about last November, currently only concerns the upper stage of the Starship – that is to say the spaceship, which also bears the name Starship.

We already knew the broad outlines of the developments between block 1 and block 2. We were talking in particular about larger tanks, redesigned flaps at the front of the device as well as improvements concerning the thermal protection layers, to avoid Starship charring upon atmospheric reentry.

In a page dedicated to the seventh flight of the Starship, SpaceX confirmed these changes, while providing additional details. Thus, the Starship's heat shield ” will use tiles [en céramique, NDLR] latest generation and will include a layer of protection against missing or damaged tiles ».

Concerning the Starship's flaps, they have indeed been reduced, but also repositioned. They are now placed at the end, near the nose of the ship, and far from the heat shield. That ” significantly reduces their exposure to re-entry heat while simplifying the underlying mechanisms and protective tiles », justifies SpaceX.

Regarding the increase in the volume of propellant that the spacecraft can carry, SpaceX reports an increase of 25%, and reports a series of modifications relating to propulsion: new fuel supply pipe system for the Raptor engines (for space vacuum), evacuation of the supply lines and improved avionics propulsion module (which controls the valves and sensors).

In summary, all this makes it possible to increase the performance of the vehicle and to carry out longer missions, assures SpaceX. However, this “block 2” does not stop there. He was led a “ complete overhaul » of avionics, to add “ additional capabilities and redundancy for increasingly complex missions ».

Developments which also prepare for future tests

This avionics update will not be used immediately, according to the company. Indeed, this is an update whose effects will be more visible during the eighth flight and at the time of the propellant transfer test in space. The 8th flight should be used to test the capture of the spacecraft by the launch tower, like the Super Heavy.

Regarding avionics, SpaceX mentions “ a more powerful flight computer, integrated antennas that combine Starlink, GNSS and RF communication functions [Radio-Fréquence] backup in each unit, redesigned inertial navigation and star tracking sensors, and integrated intelligent batteries ”, among others.

Another change cited by SpaceX: the presence of power units which will distribute up to 2.7 megawatts of energy as well as data, and the addition “ of more than 30 cameras that give engineers insight into hardware performance across the vehicle during flight “. These videos and telemetry are relayed in real time via Starlink, via a very high speed link (120 Mbps).

The evolution of the Starship spacecraft will not stop with this “block 2”. The company is already working on the next generation, called “block 3”, the contours of which are still relatively vague. At the same time, the company is also working on improvements targeting the Super Heavy – which will also be entitled to its “block 2”.