SpaceX commenced the third integrated flight test of the upper stage of its Starship human landing system, or HLS, and accompanying Super Heavy booster.
The test advances NASA’s preparations for the Artemis III and IV missions, which will use the HLS to take astronauts on the surface near the Moon’s South Pole, the space agency announced Thursday.
One of the main objectives of the flight was to demonstrate the transfer of cryogenic propellant loads between internal tanks as well as its impact on Starship’s on-orbit stability.
“Storing and transferring cryogenic propellant in orbit has never been attempted on this scale before,” said Jeremy Kenny, project manager of NASA’s Cryogenic Fluid Management Portfolio at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. “But this is a game-changing technology that must be developed and matured for science and exploration missions at the Moon, Mars, and those that will venture even deeper into our solar system.”