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According to a fresh air traffic advisory, SpaceX's Starship Flight 7 will now lift off on January 11th at the earliest. An earlier advisory, which was later taken down, listed January 10th as the first launch date. The latest advisory, available on the CANSO ATFM Data Exchange Network for the Americas (CADENA) website, lists January 11th as the primary launch date, with backup dates available each day until January 16th.
The January 11th launch window opens at 9 a.m. Eastern Time, while the others are for later in the day. A January 11th launch for Starship removes the potential of the rocket lifting off on the same day as Blue Origin's New Glenn, whose maiden attempt is currently planned for January 10th.
SpaceX Starship Flight 7 Can Lift Off On Saturday, Shows Air Traffic Control Advisory
Starship Flight 7 will be the first test flight with a payload deployment test objective. In an earlier blog post, SpaceX shared that it will deploy prototype Starlink satellites in space through the upper-stage Starship spacecraft. Footage from local media shows that as of yesterday night in Texas, SpaceX had loaded the Starlink simulators in the ship and made last-minute changes to the payload bay as well.
While the Starship Super Heavy booster is at the launch pad, SpaceX has yet to ship the ship to the pad. It has installed flight termination system explosives on the booster, and a move to the pad is imminent as Flight 7's launch date is approaching. SpaceX will likely officially share the launch date once it stacks the ship on the rocket at the launch pad.
As SpaceX makes last-minute preparations for Flight 7, a fresh air traffic control advisory sheds more light on potential launch dates. According to the listing:
Primary Launch Day 11 Jan 1300Z-1438Z Backup Launch Day (1) 12 Jan 2200Z-2338Z Backup Launch Day (2) 13 Jan 2200Z-2338Z Backup Launch Day (3) 14 Jan 2200Z-2338Z Backup Launch Day (4) 15 Jan 2200Z-2338Z Backup Launch Day (5) 16 Jan 2200Z-2338Z
Starship Flight 7 will be an important test for the upper-stage spacecraft. SpaceX will fly an upgraded fin design on the ship, and it will also once again test the ship and the aerodynamic control structures to their limit. The ship will also feature upgraded flight control and propulsion systems, along with hardware to pave the way for an eventual tower catch.
As was the case with Flights 5 and 6, the firm will also attempt to catch the 232-feet-tall Super Heavy booster with the launch tower. While Flight 5's tower catch was successful, SpaceX aborted the catch on Flight 6 due to damage to the tower's hardware.
The launch tower will feature upgraded radar sensors for improved accuracy on the upcoming flight, and if the upper stage's performance is satisfactory, then SpaceX might also attempt to catch the ship with the tower on Flight 8.
