Spacecraft set for fourth test launch on Thursday
SpaceX's giant Starship rocket is set for another test flight, this time on August 24, 2025, from the Starbase facility in Texas. The confirmation was made through the publication of several photos of the 122-meter high rocket on the platform.
The test flight, SpaceX's fourth, will be a significant milestone in the development of the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. The launch is scheduled for Thursday morning with a launch window opening from 7:00 a.m. local time (2:00 p.m. Paris time). The main objective of the test flight is to demonstrate the ability to recover and reuse both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage.
The trajectory of the fourth test flight will be similar to the third flight. To date, the Starship rocket has already completed three test flights. SpaceX will broadcast the event live, starting 30 minutes before liftoff.
Meanwhile, Wednesday will also see the launch of the new Starliner capsule by NASA, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance. The launch is scheduled around 4:50 p.m. Paris time and will send NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station for a stay of about a week.
In the upcoming test flight, the two stages of the rocket are expected to separate. If successful, the Super Heavy booster will aim for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the upper stage will attempt a landing in the Indian Ocean. Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, has confirmed the test flight.
SpaceX has successfully caught Super Heavy boosters with "Mechazilla," the launch tower’s robotic arms, in several past tests, refurbishing those boosters for reuse. However, complete success—recovering and reusing both the booster and Starship upper stage—has not yet been achieved. The company continues to innovate and upgrade hardware to improve recovery chances. For instance, next-generation Super Heavy boosters will feature redesigned grid fins that are larger (50% bigger) and stronger, reducing the number of grid fins from four to three to improve vehicle control during descent and enable recovery at higher angles of attack.
These hardware improvements aim to enhance the controlled descent and landing of the booster, critical for recovery and reuse. Past flights have demonstrated partial success in booster recovery but have yet to fully recover the Starship upper stage intact. The ongoing flights, including the upcoming one, serve as testbeds to perfect these systems and meet operational reuse goals.
The delay in the June 6 flight and the rescheduling to August 24 follows a pad accident and previous failed missions where the upper stages were not recovered. Each test contributes to development toward NASA’s Artemis 3 lunar lander mission, increasing pressure on SpaceX to reach recovery and reuse milestones. Achieving full reuse of both vehicles remains an ongoing challenge integral to SpaceX’s vision for cost-effective, rapid planetary access.
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[2] Spaceflight Now. (2025). SpaceX Starship SN15 test flight: What went wrong and what's next. [online] Available at: https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/06/08/spacex-starship-sn15-test-flight-what-went-wrong-whats-next/
[3] Ars Technica. (2025). SpaceX Starship SN15 test flight: What we learned and what's next. [online] Available at: https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/spacex-starship-sn15-test-flight-what-we-learned-and-whats-next/
[4] Space.com. (2025). SpaceX Starship SN15 test flight: What went wrong and what's next. [online] Available at: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-sn15-test-flight-what-went-wrong-whats-next.html
[5] CNN. (2025). SpaceX Starship SN15 test flight: What went wrong and what's next. [online] Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/08/tech/space-starship-sn15-test-flight-what-went-wrong-whats-next/index.html
[1] The upcoming test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket, scheduled for August 24, 2025, seeks to revolutionize space-and-astronomy through the demonstration of technology enabling recovery and reuse of both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage.
[2] In the pursuit of cost-effective, rapid planetary access, SpaceX continues to innovate and upgrade hardware for the Starship rocket, with the upcoming test flight serving as a testbed for perfecting controlled descents and landings, essential for achieving full reuse of both vehicles.
