Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said on Monday that a key SpaceX Starship Super Heavy rocket launch test will now take place later this month rather than this week.
Starship is envisioned by SpaceX as a fully reusable transportation system capable of transporting astronauts and cargo to Earth orbit, the moon, Mars, and beyond. The rocket is set to launch from SpaceX’s Starbase facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, in the company’s first launch of its fully stacked 394-foot (120-meter) tall Starship rocket system. Fully stacked means that all of its components are in place, with the upper stage sitting atop the booster.
“Starship launch is trending toward the end of the third week of April,” Musk wrote on Twitter a day after announcing it.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted a planning notice on April 4 stating that the launch’s primary expected date was Monday, but backup dates were Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Last week, Musk stated that Starship would be ready to launch this week.
The FAA issued a revised notice on Monday, stating that the launch could now take place on April 17.
SpaceX must still obtain an FAA launch license before conducting its first orbital flight test from Boca Chica. One major impediment remains: completing a federal environmental compliance review.
The Starship rocket system is made up of a Starship rocket atop a “Super Heavy” first-stage booster powered by 33 rocket engines. The Starship’s second stage will be launched into space, where it will complete a full orbit of Earth before reentering the atmosphere and splashing down off the coast of Hawaii. The Super Heavy booster would also be expected to land near the launch site in Texas.
