The latest SpaceX Starship prototype could finally go live on Tuesday at Elon Musk's rocket development facility on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Musk's new Mars rocket iteration, identified by serial number SN9, has undergone a series of test fires and some of its engines were replaced earlier this month in preparation for a high altitude test flight. Plans for Monday's launch were scrubbed near the launch area due to high winds.
Now, the closings of local roads and the air space around the Boca Chica, Texas facility suggest that we could see a launch attempt as early as Tuesday morning.
SpaceX has tested and tweaked its Starship design for the past two years, starting with a number of Hops at low altitude"The first successful flight at any significant altitude was last month when the SN8 reached roughly the same altitude as commercial jets make much of their cruise at.
The milestone was then followed by a fallback to Earth and a new landing maneuver that seemed to successfully align the missile, but unfortunately SN8 came in too quickly and hit a spectacular and explosive ending.
We could still get lucky and see the ordeal of SN8 continuing on Tuesday, but peels and delays were part of the routine in the Starship development process. Heck, I've updated this post several times already.
Whenever SN9 flies we will be wearing the video here. Stay tuned.
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