SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, has scheduled the eighth test flight of its massive Starship for Wednesday (5) after a last-minute delay on Monday.
This rocket, which is being developed for missions to the Moon and Mars, is set to launch from Boca Chica, Texas, with a height equivalent to a 40-story building at 123 meters.
The launch opportunity will begin at 5:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. in Brasilia).
SpaceX canceled the sudden launch on Monday due to a detected issue, a common delay in space industry.
Text: It is a new effort following an explosion that occurred during the most recent test in January.
The mission aims to land the initial stage of the Starship using the launch tower’s suction arms, a challenging maneuver previously achieved twice by SpaceX.
Musk plans to retrieve the Starship soon to make it fully reusable, thus significantly cutting down on costs and resources required.
For this eighth test flight, it is expected that the spacecraft will land in the Indian Ocean, similar to previous tests.
The upper rocket module exploded during mid-January, resulting in incandescent debris falling over the Caribbean and causing material damage to the Turks and Caicos Islands, located over 2,500 kilometers away from the launch location.
The FAA briefly redirected the aircraft and initiated an investigation, along with suspending flights, following the unsuccessful test.
The FAA approved the continuation of launch tests on Friday while still investigating the recent explosion.