It looks like SpaceX will launch its Starship rocket in a matter of days, marking a significant milestone for the company’s goal of putting humans on Mars.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, posted a video showing the company’s fully stacked rocket system at its Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, where Starship work has been proceeding since 2019.
SpaceX is preparing a third attempt as early as March 14 to launch an unmanned Starship rocket from Texas to Hawaii. The first two efforts resulted in high-altitude explosions.
As a crucial spaceship launch draws near, Elon Musk’s visions for Mars are put to the test.
With its upper stage atop its Super Heavy booster, Starship reaches a maximum length of around 120 metres, making it the largest and most potent rocket ever constructed.
Due to its magnitude, there are several technical difficulties for both the rocket and the supporting infrastructure during takeoff and landing.
The launchpad was destroyed during the maiden launch of the fully loaded rocket in April 2023, with debris falling down as far as 8 kilometres (5 miles) distant.
Scientists who examined the damage concluded that the Raptor engines’ power was equivalent to a volcano eruption.
Although the second test flight’s launchpad performed much better, the rocket’s two stages were eventually lost a short while after takeoff.
In a statement published on its website last week, SpaceX stated that “Starship’s second flight test achieved a number of major milestones and provided invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship,”
“Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test. They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximise learning.”
In addition to technical difficulties, inadequate weather forecasts and a lack of regulatory clearance have caused delays for earlier launches.
The next Starship launch will be streamed live on SpaceX’s X account, which was originally Twitter. The webcast will usually start about half an hour before the launch.
