SpaceX postpones Starship launch to 8:30 pm; follow
SpaceX reported, in a post on social media, that the launch of Starship is now scheduled for 6:30 pm US Central Time (CT) this Thursday (21). The new time corresponds to 8:30 pm Brasília time.
Starship is considered the largest and most powerful rocket ever developed and will be tested in another experimental flight by Elon Musk's company.
During the mission, the Super Heavy propellant, responsible for takeoff, must separate from the spacecraft a few minutes after launch and make a controlled fall into the Gulf of Mexico. The ship will continue its space trajectory until landing in the Indian Ocean.
Starship must surpass Earth's atmosphere and reach space during the test. However, it will not yet enter a full orbit around the Earth.
What is the real purpose of Starship?
Although today's flight is just a test, Starship was created for much larger missions.
SpaceX wants to use the rocket to take NASA astronauts to the Moon in the Artemis program and, in the future, make trips to Mars. Elon Musk has also stated several times that the ultimate goal of the project is to make the colonization of the red planet possible.
The spacecraft could still be used to launch Starlink satellites, transport heavy loads and even make fast trips between different points on Earth in the future.
Remember:
Separation of the module from the crew marks the return of Artemis II to Earth; see | CNN PRIME TIME
What will be tested today?
This Thursday's flight marks the debut of the so-called "Version 3" of Starship, considered the most powerful ever built by the company.
The mission is expected to test new Raptor engines, rocket separation systems, atmospheric reentry and the release of simulated Starlink satellites during space travel.
SpaceX is also trying to prove that it can fully reuse the system in the future, something considered one of the biggest revolutions in the space industry.
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Source: CNN