--- title: "SpaceX to Attempt First Full-Scale Starship Test Flight This Week" description: "A full-scale SpaceX Starship prototype called SN5 is about to finally make its first-ever attempt at getting off the ground." date: "2020-07-22" modified: "2020-07-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-first-full-scale-starship-test-this-week" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "starhopper" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX to Attempt First Full-Scale Starship Test Flight This Week ![A full-scale SpaceX Starship prototype called SN5 is about to finally make its first-ever attempt at getting off the ground.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## First Flight A full-scale SpaceX Starship prototype is about to finally make its first-ever attempt at getting off the ground. When asked on an update on the company's SN5 Starship prototype, the fifth of its kind, SpaceX CEO [Elon Musk responded yesterday]() that it "will attempt to fly later this week." The massive SN5 prototype is expected to "hop" to just 150 meters (492 feet) according to road closure filings [released earlier this month](). ## One Big Hop The test flight would follow flight attempts by the space company's "Starhopper," an early scaled-down — but still massive — prototype, which [successfully flew]() to 150 meters in August 2019. SN5 is substantially larger, currently [towering above]() the company's test facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. https://youtu.be/bYb3bfA6_sQ SN5 will likely still have to go through a fueling test and a static fire test of its Raptor rocket engine, [according to Teslarati](), before it can attempt its first test flight. A [video]() uploaded to YouTube by *NASA Spaceflight* earlier this month also showed SpaceX mounting a "mass simulator" on top of the SN5 prototype, likely an effort to simulate a payload during test flights. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX Starship kicks off busy week of tests to prepare for flight debut]() \[*Teslarati*\] **More on the test:** [SpaceX Is Planning Starship's First Test Flight for Next Week]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()