--- title: "SpaceX Is Planning Starship’s First Test Flight for Next Week" description: "SpaceX is planning the first test flight of its Starship prototype as soon as next week if a Raptor rocket engine test goes according to plan." date: "2020-07-10" modified: "2020-07-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-planning-starship-test-flight-next-week" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Is Planning Starship’s First Test Flight for Next Week ![SpaceX is planning the first test flight of its Starship prototype as soon as next week if a Raptor rocket engine test goes according to plan.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Static Fire SpaceX is planning the first test flight of its [Starship]() prototype as soon as next week, [*Teslarati* reports]() — if a Raptor rocket engine test slated for earlier in the week goes according to plan. Workers are currently installing a Raptor engine on the prototype in question, SN5, in preparation for a rehearsal static fire test on Monday. That's according to [recent road closure filings]() around the company's Boca Chica, Texas, testing facilities, which describe a 150-meter launch of the prototype. That initial test flight's date is still subject to change, and SpaceX has yet to directly confirm the plans. The event also depends on the success of the Raptor engine static fire test. "Surely too soon?" [commented]() *NASA Spaceflight* reporter Michael Baylor on Twitter. ## Simulating Mass A [video]() uploaded to YouTube by *NASA Spaceflight* on Thursday showed SpaceX mounting a "mass simulator" on top of the SN5 prototype, likely an effort to simulate a payload during proceeding test flights. A remaining question, as *Teslarati* points out, is that SpaceX has yet to test Starship's mysterious landing legs, which differ greatly from the company's tried-and-true Falcon 9 design. The legs retract to the inside of the engine section rather than outside, as a [visualized approximation in April]() showed. The sleek animation was later confirmed to be "[very close]()" to what SpaceX is working on, according to Musk. A lot can [go wrong]() during testing, as we've seen with a number of preceding Starship prototypes — and that means we should expect further delays as well. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX’s first Starship flight (re)scheduled for next week]() \[*Teslarati*\] **More on Starship:** *[Here’s How Many Shipping Containers You Could Fit Inside SpaceX’s Starship]()* ## 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]()