— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 16, 2024 Flight six will follow a similar trajectory as the previous one. The Super Heavy booster with 33 Raptor engines will reignite following the separation to initiate the so-called boostback burn. Before the burn ends, the flight director has to send a manual command for a tower catch attempt. If anything is wrong with the tower systems or the booster itself, the 70-meter-tall beast will default to a safer soft splashdown landing in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the Starship will finally attempt an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine. This ability is crucial for greater flexibility of flight profiles—especially when carrying multiple cargo—and for the spacecraft's post-mission deorbiting. There are several hardware improvements to Starship: “The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles.” The launch window was adjusted to have some daylight in the Indian Ocean, where the Starship was about to perform a soft splashdown. It would be the first time we see Starship landing in the ocean in daylight so that we can expect another incredible live stream or post-flight footage. Tags