SpaceX Starship's next test flight gets target date – Here's when it could lift off
Yesterday at 05:02 PM
SpaceX’s Starship will soon be lifting off for its eighth test flight, according to federal airspace advisory listings, as the Elon Musk-headed company will look to rebound from its most recent launch that ended in the destruction of its rocket.
SpaceX has listed its launch window as starting on Wednesday, February 26, at 5:30 p.m. EST. The company will look to launch between then and on any of the various backup opportunities that will be available through Thursday, March 6.
Coming off of what is one of its most eventful missions yet with the seventh Starship launch, the company is going to look to improve in one facet while aiming to repeat another. First, SpaceX said it is aiming to complete yet another catch of the first-stage booster, something it has now accomplished on two other occasions.
However, the last launch also resulted in the complete loss of the rocket itself, which was destroyed during its ascension phase. Debris from the exploded rocket fell over the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos, lighting up the sky in what was a stunning display of a learning experience for the aerospace company:
Absolutely insane video of Starship coming down over Turks & Caicospic.twitter.com/28wfgdKJuN
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The only thing that would potentially delay Starship’s next launch is the lack of closure to the previous investigation, which dealt with finding the reasoning for the rocket’s explosion.
SpaceX aimed to explain what happened shortly after the destruction of Starship after the seventh test flight:
“Following stage separation, the Starship upper stage successfully lit all six Raptor engines and performed its ascent burn to space. Prior to the burn's completion, telemetry was lost with the vehicle after approximately eight and a half minutes of flight. Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly with debris falling into the Atlantic Ocean within the predefined hazard areas."
Musk also said that a leak of oxygen or fuel in the cavity above the ship engine firewall could have been responsible for the loss.
He also expected Starship to return to launch in February.
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