WA few hours before the planned launch, the US authorities gave billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company approval for a third test of its Starship space rocket. The responsible Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) announced on Wednesday that all requirements had been met. The two-stage Starship is scheduled to lift off from a ramp in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday.
A 110-minute launch window will open at 1 p.m. CET, said tech billionaire Elon Musk's private space company SpaceX. The unmanned Starship is scheduled to launch at SpaceX's spaceport in the US state of Texas. A test flight of around one hour and sea landings of both rocket stages are planned. SpaceX has announced that it will host a livestream approximately 30 minutes before the launch window, which will be available on the company's website.
During a first test last April, the entire rocket system exploded after just a few minutes. During a second test in November, the two rocket stages separated and the upper one continued to fly for a while, but shortly afterwards both exploded separately. Before the third test run, the US aviation authority FAA determined that all safety requirements were met, as the news channel CNN explains on its website.
The Starship – consisting of the approximately 70 meter long Super Heavy booster and the approximately 50 meter long upper stage, also called Starship – is intended to enable manned missions to the Moon and Mars. The system is designed so that the spacecraft and rocket can be reused after returning to Earth. The system, which is around 120 meters long in total, will be able to transport well over 100 tons of cargo in the future. NASA wants to take astronauts to the moon with the Starship.
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