Elon Musk's SpaceX made final preparations to launch its powerful new Starship rocket system to space for the first time, on a brief but highly anticipated uncrewed test flight from the Gulf Coast of Texas
The two-stage rocketship, standing taller than the Statue of Liberty at 394 feet high, was due for blastoff from the SpaceX facility at Boca Chica, Texas, during a two-hour launch window that opens at 8 a.m. EDT .
"Success is not what should be expected," Musk told a private Twitter audience on Sunday night, saying the best-case scenario would provide crucial data about how the vehicle ascends to space and how it will fly back to Earth. On Sunday night, Musk said, "it's more likely" for the flight to be postponed than to launch on Monday. SpaceX has backup launch windows on Tuesday and Wednesday for roughly the same times.Both the lower-stage Super Heavy booster rocket and the upper-stage Starship cruise vessel it will carry to space are designed as reusable components, capable of flying back to Earth for soft landings - a maneuver that has become routine for SpaceX's smaller Falcon 9 rocket.
In February, SpaceX did a test-firing of the booster, igniting 31 of its 33 Raptor engines for roughly 10 seconds with the rocket bolted in place vertically atop a platform. After separating from the Starship, the Super Heavy booster is expected to execute the beginnings of a controlled return flight before plunging into the Gulf of Mexico.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Elon Musk Lowers Expectations for SpaceX’s First Starship Launch Attempt“If it does go wrong, it’s a lot to go wrong,” Elon Musk said as he sought to lower expectations for the inaugural launch attempt of Starship, the rocket that SpaceX is preparing to try to fly on Monday morning
Read more »
SpaceX’s launch of Starship could remake space explorationPowered by a staggering 33 first-stage engines, Starship and its booster are expected to have nearly twice the thrust of NASA's SLS moon rocket.
Read more »
SpaceX's 1st orbital Starship launch: How it will workThe test flight will launch from South Texas, head over the Gulf of Mexico and ultimately splash down near Hawaii.
Read more »
How to watch SpaceX's 1st Starship orbital launch live online for free on April 17You can watch SpaceX's Starship launch live on April 17 starting at 7:15 a.m. EDT. Liftoff is set for 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT).
Read more »
What to know about 1st test flight of SpaceX's big StarshipElon Musk’s SpaceX is about to take its most daring leap yet with a round-the-world test flight of its mammoth Starship
Read more »
What to know about 1st test flight of SpaceX’s big StarshipElon Musk’s SpaceX is about to take its most daring leap yet with a round-the-world test flight of its mammoth Starship.
Read more »