Global Courant 2023-04-17 13:00:26
Elon Musk’s SpaceX first Starship test flight is currently ready to launch for the first time. The rocket ship’s 400-foot test flight will take place from the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas.
You can watch the flight test live directly from SpaceX’s webcast or on their YouTube channel during a two-hour live launch window beginning at 8 a.m. US Eastern (1:15 p.m. CAT).
SpaceX will launch the company’s Starship SN24 prototype on an extremely heavy Booster 7 designed to be reusable. NASA’s Artemis 3 plans to use the spacecraft to land astronauts on the moon in 2025, and plans to use the spacecraft for at least three private spaceflights, two of which will be used to ferry passengers around the moon. Starship is also SpaceX’s planned vehicle to fly astronauts to Mars and the long-term goals of settling the Red Planet.
“Starship is a fully reusable transportation system designed to deliver both crew and cargo to orbit, helping humanity return to the moonand travel to Mars and beyond,” wrote SpaceX a mission description(opens in new tab). “With a test like this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the chances of success going forward as SpaceX continues to rapidly advance Starship development.”
SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote on Twitter: “Success perhaps, excitement guaranteed!” this Tweet comes after the company obtained its Starship launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Probably tomorrow will not be successful, he said. “It’s just very fundamentally difficult.”
On Sunday night, Musk said “it’s more likely” that the flight will be delayed Monday. And that SpaceX has backup launch windows on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
