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IT Home reported on July 30 that SpaceX, the US space exploration technology company, recently successfully conducted a static ignition test of the engine of the latest Starship upper stage rocket, preparing for the upcoming fifth test flight. The test was conducted at the Starship base in Boca Chica, Texas on the afternoon of July 26 local time, and the Starship upper stage with a height of 50 meters was successfully ignited. SpaceX then released test photos and videos on the social media platform X.

Static fire testing is a routine procedure before launch, which is to fix the rocket on the ground and briefly ignite the engine for inspection. Prior to this, SpaceX had conducted a static fire test on the first stage of the Starship rocket on July 15.

IT Home noticed thatThe exact time for the fifth test flight has not yet been determined.SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has said that another launch will take place within four weeks, which could be around August 2. However, according to media reports, the launch may now be postponed to late August or early September.

Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket to date, with a total height of nearly 122 meters. It consists of an upper spacecraft called "Starship" and a booster called "Super Heavy".Both are designed to be fully reusableSpaceX believes that the powerful thrust and reusability of the Starship will bring revolutionary changes, making the colonization of the moon and Mars an economically viable goal. NASA also supports this plan and chose the Starship as the first manned lunar lander for the "Artemis" lunar landing program.

Starship has conducted four test flights so far., respectively in April and November 2023 and March and June this year, with each test flight making progress. In the most recent test flight, the Starship successfully entered space and returned to the Earth's atmosphere, and the Super Heavy booster also accurately landed in the designated waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Starship's fifth test flight will attempt a new challenge: using the "chopstick arm" of the giant launch tower at the star base to capture the returning Super Heavy rocket to speed up the process of inspection, refurbishment and re-launch.