SpaceX Plans for a Second Launch Attempt of Its Enormous Starship Rocket

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It is highly probable that something will go awry during this flight.

Eric Berger wrote a blog post on April 20, 2023 at 10:01 am on the website "The Verge".

The Starship rocket from SpaceX is pictured before its integrated flight test.

Once again, the team of SpaceX engineers and technicians are making their final arrangements for the launch of the Super Heavy booster and its Starship upper stage. This is the second time they've done so. The launch is set to take place at South Padre Island, Texas.

The business has a limited launch time of 62 minutes starting at 8:28 am, which is based on the South Texas time zone (12:00 UTC), scheduled to take place on Thursday. This effort comes after a countdown ending 10 minutes before lift-off was canceled on Monday morning due to a pressurization valve that was frozen and couldn't be actuated from a distance. SpaceX took advantage of this break to conduct a wet dress rehearsal where they fueled up the launch vehicle and almost went through with the countdown right before the actual liftoff, but ultimately didn't ignite the 33 primary engines.

Since that time, the corporation has attended to the problem with the valve, and accomplished the arduous task of refilling the immense tanks used for storing propellant with a mixture of liquid methane and oxygen at its Starbase launch location.

After the countdown and testing performed earlier this week, there is a greater sense of assurance that SpaceX will achieve T-0 and the launch of the Super Heavy rocket on Thursday. However, there are no guarantees, as weather conditions and range concerns may still pose challenges. The chances of a successful countdown are estimated to be around 50 percent or higher if these obstacles are avoided.

The upcoming Starship launch by SpaceX has been dubbed as an "integrated flight test." It's a significant occasion because it will be the first time the massive Super Heavy rocket and its companion vessel will take off together. According to the basic plan, the primary goal is for the Super Heavy rocket to propel Starship into space safely. After that, both vehicles will separate from each other, and the Super Heavy rocket will make an intentional landing in the Gulf of Mexico, situated roughly 30-35 km off the coast of Texas. However, there will be no booster retrieval attempt on this particular flight.

During this time, the Starship craft will endeavor to reach a height of 235 km and achieve a near-orbital position. The engines of the Starship will cease operation just 9 minutes and 20 seconds into the journey, and for over an hour, the craft will drift along peacefully. Eventually, it will reenter Earth's atmosphere, doing so over the Pacific Ocean.

The Starship won't be able to go around the earth completely and will likely crash into the water at a fast speed, roughly 225 km north of Oahu in Hawaii. It's important to note that this flight won't be trying to land with a controlled rocket descent. If everything goes according to plan, this will transpire 90 minutes post-launch.

It's highly probable that this flight won't go smoothly. Super Heavy is the biggest and strongest rocket ever to be launched from Earth and it's been reported that SpaceX boss, Elon Musk, has stated that this particular boost, known as Booster 7, is based on an older model. Apparently, the company has a lot more trust in their latest first phase, Booster 9, which is nearly prepared for take-off. The principal objective of this mission is to attain as much information as they can about how well Super Heavy and Starship perform during flight, no matter how long the flight lasts.

There will be an online broadcast starting 45 minutes prior to the liftoff of this launch attempt.

Another try for the launch of Starship.