Starship Launch Cancelled for Second Time in a Row
Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX has once again postponed a critical launch for testing its reusable Starship rocket, this time due to weather conditions. A cluster of thunderclouds formed in the launch area, so the company decided not to risk the rocket, which had already failed its last three launches. The launch has been postponed for a day and could take place tomorrow.
The space corporation emphasized that the project engineers will look for the best time for the next flight. Later, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk named the exact reasons for the second consecutive failure of the ship launch — the presence of thick clouds over the launch pad. Musk explained that at the appointed time there was a high risk of lightning strike.
Starship is a record-breaking reusable super-heavy launch vehicle in terms of size and mass. The rocket was first launched on April 20, 2023. SpaceX has now launched nine Starships, five of which have failed.
If the launch goes ahead and all goes according to plan, Super Heavy’s first stage will conduct several experiments in flight before making a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico about seven minutes after liftoff. Meanwhile, the spacecraft will be expected to place eight mock-ups of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites into orbit, fire one of its six Raptor engines in space, and splash down in the Indian Ocean about 66 minutes after liftoff.
