Starship Flight 8: Is it launching this week?

According to SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, the company will be attempting to launch Starship Flight 8 no earlier than Friday, February 28. There are still a few hurdles SpaceX will have to overcome before Starship can launch again.

Musk shared to X on Sunday that SpaceX would attempt its eighth Starship test flight this coming Friday. However, the official SpaceX account has yet to either share the post or announce a date itself, so Musk’s date should be taken with a large grain of salt.

However, hardware for Starship Flight 8 is in the final stages of being readied for flight. Both Booster 15 and Ship 34 have been assembled with their engines and static-fired. Neither has yet made the trip out to Starbase’s launch site for launch pad stacking, something we have normally seen by now on launch week.

Both the Booster and Ship have smashed previous testing records for earlier flights, showing that SpaceX’s workforce has truly started to understand how to build and test these stages quickly. While it has still taken a few months, once the rocket is able to be returned and reused, SpaceX’s Starship fleet will begin to grow just like its Falcon fleet of boosters.

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Ship 34’s static fire was the longest the company has done so far. The minute-long static firing took place at its Massey test site about four miles west of Starbase’s production site. Massey’s, a former gun range, sits right on the Rio Grande and is away from the main highway, allowing for cryogenic-proof and static fire tests that don’t require a road closure. The site features a flame trench, which allowed for the long-duration static fire on February 12.

This test was to put the vehicle through flight-like conditions and “inform” SpaceX of what changes need to be made from Flight 7. Starship Flight 7 concluded early due to a leak in the propulsion system on the ship. This led to a rapid unscheduled disassembly of the vehicle over the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This test shows that, as of February 12, SpaceX was still working on what changes needed to be made before Starship could launch again. While that leaves time for teams to make the changes, it doesn’t give them a lot of it.

The next steps for Starship Flight 8’s hardware, if it is launching this week, will be a short trip out to the launch site for integration and a wet dress rehearsal. For now, no road closures have been scheduled that look like this will happen yet. The only road closures currently scheduled are an all-day road and beach closure meant for launches on February 26, the earliest SpaceX can launch Flight 8 due to regulatory filings. This closure will likely be changed and moved back to Friday.

Secondly, no flight restrictions have been filed with the FAA. These can show up relatively quickly, although they must be filed and made public with enough time for pilots to be aware of the airspace closures.

Currently, Ship 34’s flight termination installation has begun in Mega Bay 2, one of the final items needed before launch.

Elephant in the room

The early conclusion of Starship Flight 7 led the FAA to require a mishap investigation into the cause of the failure. This is the second, and frankly most important, leading item before Starship Flight 8 can launch.

In the past, we’ve seen the FAA announce the conclusion of an investigation and SpaceX launching a rocket a few days later. Rumor has it that the mishap investigation could be closed as soon as this week. This is likely what SpaceX is waiting for before they officially announce Flight 8’s launch date.

This investigation will also be the leading item for whether Starship Flight 8 has to be delayed until early March, a possibility that is very likely for other reasons as well, such as vehicle readiness or weather.