Space vehicle, due to lift off from Texas, is crucial to Elon Musk’s plans to reach the moon and take humans to Mars
The latest iteration of Elon Musk’s gargantuan Starship space rocket is poised to launch into the skies above Texas on Sunday for the first time in three months, with the billionaire entrepreneur’s ambitious timetable for reaching the moon and conquering Mars hinging on the success of the pivotal mission.
Skywatchers are eager to see which version of the world’s most powerful rocket will be produced for its 10th launch attempt. Of its nine previous uncrewed outings, dating to April 2023, failures have outnumbered the successes. All three test flights this year ended in huge explosions and debris raining down on Caribbean islands from the Bahamas to the Turks and Caicos in January and March, and the Indian Ocean in May.
Sunday night’s test flight, from SpaceX’s sprawling complex in Starbase, Texas, formerly known as Boca Chica, has a launch window opening at 6.30pm CT, and has various mission objectives, including the first successful deployment of Starlink communications satellite simulators.
Starship was moved to its launchpad on Thursday in anticipation of good launch weather for Sunday night’s attempt.
