SpaceX is significantly upping the ante on its Starship test flight program, with the upcoming 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-generation satellites that SpaceX plans to use Starship to deploy in space. These spacecraft models will follow the same trajectory as the upper stage, also called Starship, and land in the Indian Ocean.
The operational version of these satellites, called V3, will likely be the first actual payload flown by Starship. In fact, bringing Starship online is the linchpin of SpaceX’s plans to more quickly deploy its Starlink satellite constellation and reduce costs per satellite launched. SpaceX currently launches Starlink using its Falcon 9 rocket, but the next-generation 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 equates to more than 10 times the downlink capacity 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 making a number of improvements to the rocket. These include improvements to the propulsion system, avionics and heat shield, which SpaceX says will increase reliability and performance. During this test, SpaceX will also attempt to “catch” the Super Heavy booster, a feat the company first accomplished during the fifth test in October.