SpaceX, led by billionaire Elon Musk, postponed the 10th test flight of its massive rocket Starship on Monday because of a problem with its ground systems.
Due to a technical issue with ground systems, SpaceX canceled a scheduled test flight of its Starship rocket on Sunday night, just minutes before launch.
When the delay occurred just minutes before liftoff, SpaceX workers got to work fixing the issue overnight so the rocket could launch according to the revised timetable. In anticipation of Monday’s launch attempt, the starship and its Super Heavy launcher were still stacked on the pad.
Through the testing of critical capabilities, Flight 10 will further Starship’s development. A few minutes after launch, the Super Heavy booster is scheduled to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico, and an hour later, the Starship upper stage will do the same in the Indian Ocean close to Australia. The rocket will attempt an engine restart in space and carry eight simulated Starlink satellites along the way.
Given that all three previous Starship test flights the third broke apart on reentry, and the other two exploded shortly after launch have failed, success on Flight 10 is vital.
Starship is being developed by SpaceX to assist humanity in returning to the Moon and settling on Mars. NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, which intends to put humans on the moon by 2026, will use it to launch the moon lander.
Topics #NASA #SpaceX #Starship Flight
