SpaceX is significantly ramping up its Starship flight test program, with the next rocket launch showing payload deployment for the first time. The payload will be 10 Starlink “simulators” that are the same size and weight as the next-generation satellites SpaceX plans to use Starship to deploy in space. This model spacecraft will travel on the same trajectory as the upper stage, also called the Starship, and splash down in the Indian Ocean. The operational version of the satellite, called V3, will be the first real payload of the Starship fly. Indeed, bringing Starship online is the linchpin for SpaceX’s plans to more rapidly deploy its Starlink satellite constellation and lower the cost of each satellite launched. SpaceX currently launches Starlink using Falcon 9 rockets, but the next-generation V3 satellite is expected to be heavier than the current V2 Mini spacecraft. Thanks to Starship’s incredible payload capacity, SpaceX says it will deploy 60 V3 satellites per Starship launch, which will add 60 terabits per second of capacity to the Starlink network. Each satellite, equal to more than 10 times the downlink and 24 times the uplink capacity compared to the V2 Mini satellite. In a blog post ahead of the launch of the seventh test, which is expected to take place later this month, the company said it also introduces a kill upgrade for the rocket. These include improvements to the propulsion system, avionics, and heat shields, which SpaceX says will improve reliability and performance. During this test, SpaceX will also try to “catch” the Super Heavy booster, a feat the company did for the first time during its fifth test in October.
