After the canceled launch attempt of the giant Starship rocket on Monday, the US aerospace company SpaceX wants to try again on Thursday. Target timeslot opens at 3:28 p.m. and will close at 4:30 p.m., SpaceX said. This gives those responsible 62 minutes to launch the largest rocket ever built into orbit for the first time. There was no new information about the jammed pressure valve on the rocket’s booster, which was responsible for the demolition on Monday.
Abort used for testing
SpaceX finally used the launch attempt, which was aborted about 10 minutes before the engines ignited, as a so-called “wet dress rehearsal” and let the countdown run down to 10 seconds. In this way, the entire procedure required for the launch, including refueling, could be run through, even when it was already clear that the rocket would no longer take off directly. After saying on Monday that at least 48 hours would have to elapse before the next attempt, SpaceX is now taking an extra day. The launch attempt on Thursday will be broadcast again on YouTube, heise online will report live.
The Starship together with the Super Heavy rocket is about 120 m high. The largest rocket ever built towers over NASA’s current SLS (Space Launch System) moon rocket by a good 20 m and the Saturn V of the Apollo program by 10 m. Elon Musk presented the first prototype of the Starship in September 2019. After two hops the prototypes SN5 and SN6 at an altitude of about 150 meters, the first real test flight took place in December 2020. SN8 flew less than seven minutes at the time. But then it shattered on landing. In February 2021, the SN9 prototype crashed on landing. SN10 was tilted after landing in early March 2021, then exploded spectacularly. The next explosion happened at SN11 at the end of March 2021, which was followed by improvements to the design. In May 2021, the prototype SN15 actually managed a “nominal landing”.
After that, SpaceX turned to the first orbital flight, which was first announced for the second half of 2021. When the date passed, dates for January and July 2022 followed, and there were also delays in 2023. Before the launch attempt, SpaceX activated 31 – of a total of 33 – rocket engines for the first time. Even if two had not ignited, Musk said that was “enough for orbit”. In addition, SpaceX has built the highest launch and receiving tower for a rocket. The 146 meter high structure is supposed to grip Starship spaceships that land in the future. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued approval for the current launch attempt just a few days ago after extensive testing.
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