SpaceX Starship: Launch of world’s biggest rocket delayed due to frozen valve
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SpaceX is finally launching its Mars-bound Starship craft into orbit.
The first attempt has been postponed after a “pressurisation issue” caused the company to pull the launch with just minutes to go.
But it will try again on April 20 – which happens to be one of chief executive Elon Musk’s favourite dates.
Eventually, SpaceX hopes to use the spacecraft to explore the Moon and Mars. But for now it will complete a short orbital flight, lifting up into space and then falling back down.
You can follow all the latest news and updates right here as SpaceX attempts to launch the largest rocket the world has ever seen.
One hour until launch window opens
We’re now an hour away from the opening of the launch window. (That happens at 8.28am local central time, or 2.28pm in the UK.)
Space craft starts filling with fuel
Both the Super Heavy booster (the long, bottom bit of the rocket) and Starship’s upper stage (the actual spacecraft bit that sits at the top) are now being filled up with fuel, SpaceX says.
That’s all roughly on schedule, given that the launch window opens just under 90 minutes.
‘Go’ for propellant load
The team is ready to load propellant into the rocket, filling it up with the fuel that will hopefully keep it in orbit. But there also seems to be a concern about the weather, which could potentially postpone today’s launch.
What will happen today? What is the deal with this rocket?
... you can find out all that and more in this article: everything you need to know about today’s launch.
Preparations begin for next launch
It’s just before 5am in Texas, but overnight there have been plenty of preparations ahead of today’s (attempted) launch. Here, a crew sets up a remote camera to capture today’s launch – as the star of the show, the vast Starship, looms over them.
SpaceX livestream available on YouTube channel
It’s not actually showing anything yet, but the live video offered by SpaceX is available on its channel. There, you can sign up for a notification when it does actually go live, as well as see a countdown to when that will happen.
‘Quite the day’: Musk has lots going on for 4/20
It’s not just the rocket launch happening for Elon Musk today – he’s also getting rid of “legacy” blue verified ticks on Twitter. He sounds excited.
What to expect in Starship launch
A successful test flight would see the Starship capsule flying almost completely around the Earth from Texas and splashing down in the sea off Hawaii.
The Super Heavy booster is expected to splash into the Gulf of Mexico about 8 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX noted that the capsule would reach an altitude of about 240km (150 miles) and travel around the Earth before re-entring and splashing down into the Pacific Ocean.
Elon Musk says systems ‘green’ for launch
SpaceX chief Elon Musk tweeted on Thursday ahead of the anticipated Starship launch that all systems are ready.
“All systems currently green for launch,” Musk tweeted.
The company noted in a blog post earlier that it is targeting a 62-minute launch window opening at 8:28 am CT and closing at 9:30 a.m. CT.
Tests conducted so far on Starship, Super Heavy
SpaceX has so far conducted multiple sub-orbital flight tests of Starship’s upper stage.
These flight tests, the company says, have helped it validate the vehicle’s design and prove that it can fly through the subsonic phase of entry.
They have also shown it can re-light its engines and allign itself to a vertical configuration for landing.
Its teams have also previously conducted several tests of the Super Heavy rocket and have successfully constructed the world’s tallest rocket launch and catch tower that stands at 146m (nearly 500 ft).
SpaceX noted in its blog post that for the first flight test on Thursday, it will not attempt a vertical landing of Starship or a catch of its Super Heavy booster.
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2023-04-20 12:13:17Z
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