SpaceX postponed the seventh test flight of the Starship mega-rocket to this Friday, as announced on Wednesday.
Elon Musk, the owner of the world’s wealthiest company, announced that the seventh test flight of Starship is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, based on current weather forecasts.
The goal of this test is to demonstrate that the company’s technical accomplishment on October 13, in successfully recovering the rocket’s first stage mid-flight, was not a result of chance.
In November, SpaceX attempted but was unable to repeat the impressive maneuver in front of the incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, causing the booster to land in the Gulf of Mexico.
Starship and its propeller, standing at a total height of 123 meters, which is comparable to a 40-story building, are scheduled to launch on Thursday from a company’s space base in Texas at 16h local time (19h in Brasilia).
There is another opportunity for the launch on Friday at the same time, as stated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
After liftoff, the rocket’s two components – the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft – need to detach, with the booster beginning its descent back to the launch site.
The rocket will be guided in flight to the launch tower where it will be caught by two mechanical arms, instead of landing vertically on the ground like other rockets from the company. This maneuver is unprecedented in aerospace development.
SpaceX confirmed on its website that it has made notable enhancements to the propulsion system and thermal shield since the previous test. The company also stated that it plans to attempt a maneuver using payload in space during the flight test on Thursday.