SpaceX, Elon Musk’s American aerospace company, will make a second attempt today to launch the world’s most powerful rocket, after the first attempt was canceled on Monday.
The giant rocket, dubbed Starship, was scheduled to launch from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas facility, but failed due to a “frozen valve”.
Prior to the launch, Musk tweeted that “the pressure valve appears to be frozen so launch is not possible today unless it starts soon.” The valve began to fail, so the launch was aborted.
Here’s when today’s launch is scheduled, how to watch it, and everything else you need to know.
When does SpaceX launch today?
The launch is scheduled to take place between 8:28 am and 9:30 am local time, i.e. 2:28 pm to 3:30 pm in the UK.
However, the exact launch time is “dynamic and subject to change” – “as is the case with all development tests,” SpaceX said.
On Thursday morning, Musk tweeted: “At this time, all systems are ready to launch.”
From 13:45 here, on this page, there will be a live broadcast from the launch. It will also be streamed live on the SpaceX YouTube channel.
What can we expect from the launch?
The test mission—whether or not its goals have been fully achieved—represents an important milestone in SpaceX’s quest to return humans to the Moon and eventually Mars, and is a central goal of NASA’s revitalized space program to integrate spacecraft.
But SpaceX faces serious challenges when it comes to launching a spacecraft that, if successfully launched, would instantly become Earth’s most powerful rocket.
Both the lower-stage Super-Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship cruise ship that will launch them into space are designed as reusable components that can fly back to Earth for a soft landing—a maneuver unheard of for the smaller Falcon has become commonplace. SpaceX 9 rocket.
But none of the stages will be restored for the first space test flight, which is expected to last no more than 90 minutes.
Over the past few years, prototypes of the Starship cruise ship have made five subspace flights up to six miles above the Earth, but the Super Heavy booster has never left the ground.
In February, SpaceX tested the booster by firing 31 of 33 Raptor engines for about 10 seconds while the rocket was vertically attached to the platform.
The Federal Aviation Administration approved the first test flight of the fully assembled missile system last Friday, clearing the final regulatory hurdle ahead of the long-awaited launch.
If all goes according to plan, all 33 Raptor engines will be fired simultaneously to propel the spacecraft into a flight that will complete a near-complete orbit before re-entering the atmosphere and crashing into the Pacific Ocean at supersonic speeds about 60 miles away. northern Hawaiian Islands.
After separating from the spacecraft, the Super Heavy Booster is scheduled to embark on a controlled return flight before diving into the Gulf of Mexico.
The spacecraft’s flaming entry over the Pacific Ocean will test its ability to aerodynamically steer itself, using large flaps and a heat shield to withstand the intense friction of falling through the atmosphere.
“The ship is coming in like a meteor,” Musk said. “This is the first step in a long journey that will require many flights.”
He added that additional super-heavy boosters are already on deck at Boca Chica for future test flights.
By design, the Starship rocket is almost twice as powerful as NASA’s own space launch system, which debuted in an unmanned flight into orbit in November, and NASA’s Orion cruise ship on a 10-day trip around the world. back.
Source: I News
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