When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. SpaceX performs a hot fire test on its Starship vehicle. (Image credit: SpaceX) SpaceX is ready for the next Starship flight test, aiming to make strides toward full reusability of the launch system at the start of what promises to be a massive year for the launcher. Launch from Starbase Orbital Launch Pad A in South Texas is currently scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Eastern (2200 GMT) Jan. 10. The launch window will be open for 97 minutes, with backup days running to Jan. 16. You'll be able to tune into the livestream on Space.com, if SpaceX makes it available as usual. Starship consists of the massive first stage called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship, or simply "Ship." The launch from Boca Chica Beach will feature a number of new upgrades and objectives, building on the spectacular Flight Test 6 in November of last year. Most notably, this will be the first time SpaceX attempts to deploy payloads with Starship, using 10 Starlink simulators to test the system's ability to deploy active next-generation Starlink satellites in the future. Deploying next-gen, heavier and more advanced Starlink satellites will be one of the uses of Starship. The simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as the Starship upper stage, with Ship targeting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. In terms of upgrades, the flaps on the Starship upper stage are reduced in size and closer to the tip of the vehicle, reducing their exposure to heat and allowing simplified protective tiling, while redesigns to the propulsion system allow a 25% increase in propellant volume, SpaceX revealed in a statement. "The ship's heat shield will also use the latest generation tiles and includes a backup layer to protect from missing or damaged tiles," the statement says. Get the Space.com Newsletter