SpaceX was expected to launch an around-the-world test of its Starship space system for the first time today, but a technical issue has delayed the attempt.
A pressurization issue in the vehicle's Super Heavy booster that popped up during the countdown forced SpaceX to cancel the launch for the day.How the launch will work:
The uncrewed Starship vehicle will be stacked atop its Super Heavy booster. If all goes according to plan on test day, the Super Heavy will ignite, rocketing Starship to a peak altitude of about 146 miles above the planet. Starship and Super Heavy will separate, allowing Starship's onboard engines to fire as the Super Heavy flips and comes back in for a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico, 20 miles from Boca Chica.
Starship will then coast through space before coming down for an unpowered landing in the Pacific Ocean about 140 miles off the coast of Oahu in Hawaii., but this will be the first flight for an integrated Starship and Super Heavy."With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship," SpaceX wrote in a description.
NASA is already planning on relying on a modified form of Starship that will be used as a lander to bring astronauts to the surface of the Moon.Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the launch has been delayed by at least 48 hours.
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