Seven weeks after an explosion sent pieces of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle falling into the Atlantic, the company is trying again this evening.
The more than 400-foot Starship, powered by 33 Raptor engines, is scheduled for launch no earlier than 6:30 p.m. ET from SpaceX’s launchpad at its Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas.
According to the company, this uncrewed flight test of the company’s largest rocket is designed to push the Starship’s capabilities further than previous attempts. The mission includes an attempt at Starship’s first payload deployment, as well as multiple reentry experiments that will get SpaceX closer to returning the upper stage back to the launch site for an eventual catch.
If successful, that would make Starship a completely reusable spacecraft, unlike SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which is only partially reusable. SpaceX plans on eventually using Starship for long-term missions to the moon and Mars. It will eventually be able to carry up to 100 astronauts, according to the company.
In January, during Starship’s seventh test flight, mission control announced that it had lost all communication with the spacecraft. Debris from the launch vehicle was later seen falling over the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Atlantic.
The FAA slowed flights in and around Florida for a time afterward because of concerns about falling debris potentially damaging an aircraft.