SpaceX has set its sights on Thursday, April 20th (yes, 4/20) for the second attempt at launching its Starship rocket into space. The eagerly anticipated test mission will mark the inaugural flight of a fully stacked Starship, the cutting-edge spacecraft that SpaceX is developing to transport humans and cargo to destinations such as the moon, Mars, and beyond.
The initial attempt on April 17th from Starbase, SpaceX’s state-of-the-art facility located in South Texas, was unfortunately scrubbed just minutes before liftoff due to an issue with the pressurization system on Starship’s first stage, known as Super Heavy. However, SpaceX remains undeterred and is working quickly to push forward with their ambitious plans.
The upcoming flight will see Super Heavy perform a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico approximately eight minutes after liftoff, while Starship’s upper-stage spacecraft will execute a partial orbit around Earth before descending in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii about 90 minutes after launch.
SpaceX acknowledges that this is a complex and high-stakes endeavor, and the outcome is not guaranteed. As the saying goes, “with great risk comes great reward.” SpaceX recognizes that the success of this test flight will be measured by the lessons learned, which will inform and enhance the probability of success in future endeavors as the company rapidly advances the development of Starship.
“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 writes in the updated mission description.
