![]() ![]() Since April, SpaceX has upgraded Starship’s launch facility in South Texas with a water deluge system to cushion the launch pad from the extreme heat and acoustic energy of the rocket’s 33 main engines. It was, after all, fundamentally a learning exercise, and SpaceX learned a lot. Although it ended about four minutes after liftoff following a series of engine failures, SpaceX officials described the flight as a success. SpaceX officials have said the second Starship rocket has been ready for flight since September, but the launch remained grounded while federal regulators completed reviews of the safety and environmental impacts of changes SpaceX has made since the first Starship test flight on April 20. Ars recently reported on these unknowns, ranging from engine reliability to the redesign of the rocket's stage separation mechanism. Starship will coast about three-quarters of the way around the world before plunging back into the atmosphere for a targeted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii.īut there are plenty of risks throughout the flight profile. Then, the booster will jettison to attempt a controlled descent into the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship upper stage, with six Raptor engines, will light to accelerate to nearly the velocity required to enter a stable orbit. If SpaceX executes its flight plan perfectly, the Super Heavy booster will fire its 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines for more than two-and-a-half minutes, guiding the stainless steel rocket through the atmosphere over the Gulf of Mexico. ![]() The weather forecast looks favorable for launch Friday morning, but the launch team will evaluate upper-level wind conditions throughout the countdown before giving the green light for liftoff. The nearly 400-foot-tall rocket is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX’s privately owned Starbase spaceport in South Texas during a two-hour launch window opening at 7 am CT (13:00 UTC) Friday, shortly after sunrise on the Texas Gulf Coast. "The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements." "The FAA has given license authorization for the second launch of the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy vehicles," the FAA said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration approved a commercial launch license Wednesday for SpaceX to fly its second full-scale Starship rocket as soon as Friday, seven months after the giant vehicle’s first test flight. Enlarge / SpaceX's Starship rocket on its launch pad in South Texas.
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