Starship, SpaceX’s massive prototype rocket that may one day send humans to Mars, is poised for its next flight on Thursday.
It will be the fourth test for the most powerful launch system ever built, vital to NASA’s plans for landing astronauts on the Moon later this decade and to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s hopes of one day colonizing the Red planet.
A two-hour liftoff window from the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas opens at 7:00 AM local time (1200 GMT). Weather conditions look favourable, and the Federal Aviation Administration has given its green light, AFP reported.
Three previous attempts have ended in Starship’s fiery destruction, all part of what the company says is an acceptable cost in its rapid trial-and-error approach to development.
“The fourth flight test turns our focus from achieving orbit to demonstrating the ability to return and reuse Starship and Super Heavy,” SpaceX said in a statement.
Super Heavy is the booster, while Starship refers to both the upper stage and the two stages combined.
The flight path will be similar to the third test, which took place in March and saw Starship fly halfway around the globe before it was eventually lost as it re-entered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, 49 minutes into the mission.
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