Starship Completes Third Test Flight
On Thursday, March 14th, SpaceX completed the third Integrated Flight Test (IFT-3) of its Starship launch vehicle. Notably, IFT-3 successfully achieved the first complete ascent of the combined Starship and Super Heavy system. SpaceX demonstrated several important test objectives during an approximately 40-minute coast phase, but the Starship vehicle was ultimately lost during reentry at the end of the flight. The nominal flight path included only about half of a complete orbit around the Earth; nevertheless, Starship has demonstrated the capability to achieve orbital flight, setting the stage for its test campaign to accelerate in support of its obligations under the Artemis program.
Published by Space Scout on 03/14/2024
