Elon Musk’s space exploration technology company, SpaceX, canceled the scheduled launch of the “Starship” on Sunday (August 24) in Texas due to issues at the launch site.
The launch was originally scheduled for 7:35 p.m. Eastern time (11:35 p.m. GMT), with the 232-foot (70.7 meters) tall super heavy booster and its 171-foot (52 meters) tall Starship upper stage stacked on the launch pad at SpaceX’s Starbase rocket facility in Texas, and they were in the process of loading propellant.
However, about 30 minutes before the launch, SpaceX suddenly announced on social media platform X that the company was “pausing today’s Starship flight in order to allow time for the ground system issue to be resolved.”
Musk had planned to provide an update on the progress of the Starship development before the Sunday launch, but a placeholder live page indicated that the update had been canceled.
SpaceX did not disclose when the next launch attempt would take place. Similar launch cancellations in the past have typically been resolved within a few days.
The development of SpaceX’s next-generation rocket has faced setbacks this year. This rocket is the core of SpaceX’s future robust launch business and is also central to Musk’s Mars plan.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hopes to use this rocket for the first manned moon mission since the Apollo program as early as 2027.
This year, the Starship had two testing failures in its early flights and experienced another failure during its ninth flight in space. In addition, in June, there was a major test stand explosion incident, scattering debris into neighboring Mexican territory.
These setbacks highlight the technological complexity of the latest version of the Starship, equipped with more advanced features, including more powerful thrust, potentially more durable heat shield, and stronger aerodynamic control surfaces crucial for successful atmospheric re-entry – all key features of Musk’s long-standing drive for the Starship’s rapid reusability.
(Reference: Reuters)