SpaceX is making final preparations to send the Starship to orbit in what will be only the second test flight of the 400-foot-tall rocket.
The company had planned to launch on Friday, but a 24-hour delay resulted from the need to do some additional work.
The Super Heavy launcher and Starship spacecraft are set to embark on an unmanned test flight on Saturday from SpaceX’s Starbase facility located near Boca Chica, Texas.
A two-hour window for launch opens at 7 a.m. local time (8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT).
The launch requires calm weather, and the present forecasting indicates that everything will go according to plan. It is predicted to be patchy cloudy with a light breeze, so mission operators can concentrate entirely on launch operations.
The forecast is also good news for folks watching the spectacle in person or online via the live stream, as they will have a clear view of the most powerful rocket ever to fly as it climbs skyward.
The first-stage Super Heavy rocket will come down in the Gulf of Mexico soon after launch, but the Starship spacecraft should continue on to orbit before splashing down off the coast of Hawaii. If all goes to plan, the entire mission will last about two hours.
The first test flight of the Starship took place in April but ended in failure. The rocket cleared the launchpad but a few minutes after launch an anomaly occurred that prompted the mission team to destroy the vehicle in midair.
This time SpaceX will be keen to see the spacecraft reach orbit for the first time, a crucial step in its development process if the vehicle is ever to be used for crewed missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
Now that the weather seems good, the team’s goal is to avoid any technical issues that would cause the launch to be delayed. For the most recent mission updates, be sure to follow SpaceX on social media if you want to see the rocket take off.
