Google Gemini said:
As of Starship Flight Test 10, SpaceX has introduced several new elements and is focusing on specific test objectives. Here's a breakdown of what's new:
New Vehicle and Previous Failures: This flight test uses the Starship upper stage, Ship 37, and the Super Heavy booster, Booster 16. It follows three consecutive in-flight failures of the Starship upper stage and an explosion of a separate vehicle, Ship 36, during a static fire test on the ground. SpaceX has implemented hardware and operational changes based on investigations into these past anomalies to improve reliability.
No "Chopstick" Catch: Unlike previous plans, SpaceX will not attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster with the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. Instead, the booster will perform a landing burn and aim for a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. This allows for more extensive testing and reduces risk to the launch pad.
Booster Landing Burn Experiments: The Super Heavy booster will conduct multiple landing burn tests with unique engine configurations. One of the three center engines will be intentionally disabled to test the ability of a backup engine from the middle ring to complete the burn. The booster will then transition to just two center engines for the final phase of the burn before a controlled splashdown.
Starship Upper Stage Objectives:
Payload Deployment: The Starship upper stage will attempt to deploy eight Starlink mass simulators, a test that was unsuccessful on a previous flight.
In-Space Engine Relight: A single Raptor engine on the Starship upper stage is planned to be relit while in space.
Reentry Experiments: The Starship vehicle will have a significant number of tiles removed to stress-test vulnerable areas during reentry. It will also be testing new metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, to evaluate alternative heat shield materials.
Flap Stress Test: The reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the Starship's rear flaps at the point of maximum dynamic pressure.
Catch Fitting and Tile Line Adjustments: Functional catch fittings have been installed to test their thermal and structural performance, and a section of the tile line has been adjusted to address hot spots observed on a previous flight
