Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of SpaceX, announced that the launch would be postponed from its original scheduled date of today. Musk claimed that Starship needs to have a “grid fin actuator” replaced.
The launch is now planned to occur at SpaceX’s South Texas Starbase facility during a 20-minute window that starts at 8:00 am EST (6:30 pm IST).
The world’s most potent rocket is SpaceX’s Starship.
The Super Heavy first stage and the 165-foot-tall Starship upper stage spacecraft are the two fully and quickly reusable parts of Starship.
The largest and most potent spacecraft ever built, Starship reaches approximately 400 feet when fully stacked.
According to Space.com, Super Heavy’s grid fins, which resemble waffle irons and aid in the booster’s navigation return to Earth, need to be replaced.
What is the second test flight’s objective?
The mission’s goals on Saturday are similar to those of the first flight of the fully stacked Starship on April 20.
About seven minutes after liftoff, the Super Heavy first stage is expected to make a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Simultaneously, the upper stage of the Starship will get closer to orbital velocity and make a half circle around Earth before exploding approximately ninety minutes after launch, close to Hawaii.
A blast destroyed the first Starship test flight.
On April 20, Starship conducted its first test flight, during which the upper stage encountered problems and was unable to separate from the Super Heavy first stage. Thus, four minutes after liftoff, SpaceX purposefully destroyed the vehicle high over the Gulf of Mexico.
Before a second attempt could be made, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which grants launch licenses for such missions, required a number of adjustments. In any case, because clearing the launch tower was the aim of the first test, SpaceX considered it successful.
‘Integrated test’ will be the launch tomorrow.
Starship and the Super Heavy will launch as a single vehicle as part of the planned “integrated test,” which will take place in April.
Similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the booster stage splits after flight.
After flipping, the rocket will execute a “boost back” and descend to Earth. Unlike the Falcon 9, the rocket will make a “water landing” in the Gulf of Mexico but will not be recovered.