SpaceX's next-generation spacecraft Starship, developed to carry astronauts to the moon and beyond in the coming decades, is set for a repeat test launch from southern Texas on Saturday, with blast-off scheduled for 07:00 CST (14:00 CET). The first attempt to launch the massive two-part rocket system, which consists of the Starship spacecraft and a Super Heavy booster, measuring a combined 397 feet (121 meters), failed spectacularly back in April when the rocket blew up four minutes after launch.
What changes have SpaceX made this time? Since then, the launch pad has been reinforced with a massive water-cooled steel plate, one of dozens of corrective measures that the US Federal Aviation Administration required before granting a launch license on Wednesday for the second test flight. The primary mission objective this time around is to get Starship off the ground in Texas and into space, just shy of reaching orbit, before plunging back through Earth's atmosphere for a splashdown off the coast of Hawaii.
How are SpaceX and NASA working together? The launch, which had been scheduled for Friday but was pushed back by a day for a last-minute swap of flight-control hardware, is vital for both Musk ultimately wants to use Starship to colonize Mars, and SpaceX has a multi-billion dollar contract with NASA to develop a lunar lander for Artemis astronauts.
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