SpaceX Prepares for Seventh Starship Test Flight with Significant Upgrades And Mock Payloads

This mission marks a significant milestone for the Starship program, as SpaceX plans to conduct its first-ever payload deployment from the Starship upper stage, alongside testing a suite of enhancements designed to improve the vehicle’s performance and reusability.

A New Era for Starship

The upcoming flight will showcase the first "block upgrade" to the Starship upper stage. SpaceX describes this iteration as a "new generation ship" equipped with major design changes, including:

Forward Flap Redesign: Smaller, repositioned flaps will reduce heat exposure during reentry, simplifying the protective thermal tiling process.

Expanded Propellant Tanks: The redesigned tanks offer a 25% increase in fuel capacity, enabling extended mission capabilities.

Enhanced Thermal Protection: Starship will feature next-generation heat shield tiles, supplemented by an underlying protective layer to safeguard against damage or missing tiles. Deliberately unshielded areas will be tested to evaluate stress resistance, alongside trials of metallic tiles with water-cooling features.

Avionics Overhaul: The vehicle now incorporates advanced computers, upgraded antennas, and an improved power distribution system for better control and reliability.


These upgrades align with SpaceX's broader goal of enabling Starship to achieve full reusability, a key step toward reducing the cost of access to space and facilitating long-term missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

Payload Deployment and Suborbital Objectives

A major highlight of this mission is the first payload deployment test. The Starship upper stage will release 10 “Starlink simulators,” which mimic the size and mass of SpaceX’s next-generation Starlink satellites. These mass simulators will reenter on suborbital trajectories, splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

The ability to deploy larger, more advanced Starlink satellites is critical for SpaceX's ambitious plans to revolutionize global internet connectivity. Dubbed “V3” Starlink satellites, these next-gen units will boast a downlink capacity of 1 terabit per second—10 times greater than current V2 Mini satellites—and a 24-fold increase in uplink capacity.

Super Heavy Booster: A Step Toward Full Reusability

The Super Heavy booster for this flight, Booster 14, will make history as the first to reuse hardware from a previous mission. It features Raptor engine No. 314, which successfully flew on Flight Test 5 in October and was caught by the tower’s “chopsticks.” SpaceX will attempt another catch of the booster on this flight, but if conditions are unfavorable, it will instead execute a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

The launch tower itself has also undergone improvements, with upgraded radar sensors for enhanced precision and added protections for key components to prevent damage during recovery attempts.

A Transformational Year for SpaceX

“This new year will be transformational for Starship, with the goal of bringing reuse of the entire system online,” SpaceX stated in its Jan. 3 announcement. The company is planning increasingly ambitious missions throughout 2024, inching closer to the dream of making Starship the go-to vehicle for transporting humans and cargo to Earth’s orbit, the moon, and Mars.

The test flight builds on the success of November’s Flight Test 6 and serves as a stepping stone toward future orbital missions. With unparalleled payload capacity and full reusability on the horizon, Starship is set to revolutionize space exploration and global connectivity alike.

For those eager to witness history, SpaceX’s live stream of the launch will likely be available, continuing the company’s tradition of sharing these groundbreaking events with the world.

By Azhar