FINALLY! SpaceX is on the edge of Starship’s first orbital launch attempt…
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It’s been over a year and a half since we’ve seen a prototype of SpaceX’s next-gen Starship spacecraft fly, with its first flight with a Super Heavy rocket having been perpetually pushed back during that time.
However, this is finally going to change soon as SpaceX’s shiny Starship has now inched closer to leaving the atmosphere.
Find out everything about this in today’s episode of Alpha Tech:
Elon Musk took to Twitter last Thursday morning to post a photo of Starship sitting atop its Super Heavy rocket, rising above the coastal fog in South Texas. The photo was arresting, and Musk appended a short comment: “Starship launch attempt soon.”
Soon, of course, is a relative word in spaceflight. But SpaceX also tweeted Jan. 12 that it was moving ahead with a final series of tests of its Starship vehicle and Super Heavy booster at its Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas. The company installed a Starship vehicle called Ship 24 on top of a Super Heavy booster designated Booster 7 on the launch pad there Jan. 9.
Now, see why March seems possible?
Much work remains before Starship launches on Super Heavy, of course. The combined vehicle must undergo a wet dress rehearsal. Then the Starship’s upper stage will be removed so that the Super Heavy rocket can undergo a full static fire test of its 33 Raptor engines.
In fact, the Starship team recently targeted a launch date of January 20, according to people familiar with the planning, but the date was postponed to conduct testing, which was delayed in part due to road repairs near the test site, one of the people said. The company is now targeting January 20 for what is known as a “static fire test” to make sure all 33 engines on the rocket function properly, the people said.
FINALLY! SpaceX is on the edge of Starship’s first orbital launch attempt…
