SpaceX is significantly upping the ante of its Starship test flight program, with the next rocket launch expected to demonstrate payload deployment for the first time.
The payload in question will be 10 Starlink “simulators” that will be similar in size and weight to the next-gen satellites SpaceX plans to use Starship to deploy in space. These model spacecraft will travel on the same trajectory as the upper stage, which is also called Starship, and splash down in the Indian Ocean.
The operational version of these satellites, called V3, will likely be the first real payloads Starship flies. Indeed, bringing Starship online is the linchpin to SpaceX’s plans to more rapidly deploy its Starlink satellite constellation and reduce the costs per satellite launched. SpaceX currently launches Starlink using its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, but the next-gen V3 satellites are expected to be much heavier than the current V2 Mini spacecraft. Thanks to Starship’s incredible payload capacity, SpaceX has said it plans to deploy 60 V3 satellites per Starship launch, which will add 60 terabits per second of capacity to the Starlink network.
Per satellite, that equals out to more than 10 times the downlink and 24 times the uplink capacity compared to the V2 Mini satellites.
In a blog post ahead of the seventh test launch, which is expected to take place later this month, the company said it is also introducing a slew of upgrades to the rocket. These include improvements to the propulsion system, avionics, and heat shield, that SpaceX says will boost reliability and performance. During this test, SpaceX will also attempt to “catch” the Super Heavy booster, a feat that the company accomplished for the first time during the fifth test in October.