“The next steps to test were ship payload deployment using the pez system for Starlink and, eventually, Starmind satellites; then an in-space burn to ensure the ship could relight in space; atmospheric reentry at orbital speeds; and finally the flip and burn on target. The reason for doing all of this in a suborbital trajectory was to ensure that no matter what issues the ship encountered in the coast phase, it would reenter over water. The last thing SpaceX would want is to go into orbit and then be unable to deorbit a 52-meter-long, 9-meter-wide stainless-steel vehicle with a heat shield.“
:elonapproves:
#SpaceX