Numerous modifications have been made to the black-and-silver behemoth, the largest and most powerful object ever to have flown.

But immense technical challenges remain before Starship – which Musk hopes to make fully reusable – can be considered ready for commercial flights or to reach the moon or Mars.

28,000km/h

With this new test, SpaceX hopes to usher in an “exciting new phase” of development that will include, among other things, tests of refuelling the rocket in orbit.

The spacecraft will be launched on Monday on a suborbital trajectory and, if all systems are go, then perform a second burn to reach orbit.

“That’s the hardest part”, requiring “more forces and more complex calculations”, explained Kathleen Curlee, a senior analyst at Georgetown University’s Centre for Security and Emerging Technology.

To reach the necessary altitude and speed, “the rocket has to do different things when it’s experiencing different levels of gravity”, she told AFP.

On this flight, SpaceX is aiming for a circular orbit about 275km (171 miles) above Earth, requiring a speed of about 28,000km/h.

If it achieves that, the spacecraft will then attempt to deploy satellites designed to expand the company’s already massive satellite internet constellation.

Public expectations

The plan calls for the rocket to finish its journey in the Pacific Ocean after orbiting Earth six times.

The huge first-stage booster, called “Super Heavy”, will fall shortly after launch into waters of the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX does not plan to catch it this time using huge mechanical arms.

From an engineering point of view, “just achieving flight and getting data” would be considered a success, Curlee said.

But spectators and investors have different expectations.

“They need to have flashy tests” because anything less would be seen as a failure, she added.

The development of Starship has faced repeated delays, and a Chinese company has recently made progress in the field of reusable rockets.

Still, SpaceX continues to dominate the global space launch market, thanks to its partially reusable Falcon rockets, and has made risk-taking its mantra.

Whether or not it is successful, this 14th test flight will be followed the same week by three other SpaceX rocket launches, one of which will carry a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station.

– AFP