Elon Musk’s SpaceX delayed the highly anticipated launch of its next-generation Starship rocket, putting off for at least two days a key step needed to eventually send crewed missions into deep space.
(Bloomberg) — Elon Musk’s SpaceX delayed the highly anticipated launch of its next-generation Starship rocket, putting off for at least two days a key step needed to eventually send crewed missions into deep space.
The company revealed the decision about 10 minutes before the scheduled liftoff, after engineers were unable to resolve a “pressurization issue” during final preparations. SpaceX said it would need at least 48 hours before it would again attempt an uncrewed test flight of its massive Starship vehicle.
Musk, its chief executive officer, tried to put the best face on the unfortunate situation, saying SpaceX “learned a lot.” The company said it would treat it as a dress rehearsal.
SpaceX had hoped to fly the rocket Monday morning from a facility in Boca Chica, Texas, operated by Musk’s closely held company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp. The conditions had seemed well-suited, with a virtually cloudless sky and calm weather.
The latest delay adds to a timeline that has already been almost two decades in the making: As early as 2005, Musk alluded to plans for a giant rocket codenamed “BFR.” More recently, the company has been testing components of the rocket system in preparation for this launch, its first attempt to reach space.
Read more: Starship’s Launch Is SpaceX’s Key First Step Toward Mars
Starship was conceived to bring people — including NASA astronauts — and cargo such as satellites into Earth’s orbit and beyond. The rocket is more powerful than any previous crewed spacecraft and taller than the Saturn V. The launch vehicle system also has been designed to be fully reusable, which SpaceX promises will reduce costs. SpaceX plans future crewed missions to the moon and, at some point, deep space destinations including Mars.
The uncrewed test flight was to come after Federal Aviation Administration granted SpaceX a long-awaited launch license for the inaugural flight to space for the fully assembled vehicle.
When the launch attempt happens, the Super Heavy booster rocket is expected to break away from Starship after an initial climb to space and do a controlled dive into the Gulf of Mexico. If everything goes as planned, the Starship spacecraft will continue onward and arc through space completing almost a full lap around the Earth. It will then land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii.
Not First Setback
Delays — whether because of weather, technical issues or something else — are common in space launches.
Musk tried on Sunday to temper expectations, citing a number of ways that things could go wrong, including comparing the engines to live grenades. On a Twitter audio livestream, the billionaire entrepreneur said he had one overriding goal for the attempt: “Just don’t blow up the launchpad.”
The company completed a fueling test in January before engineers the following month test-fired the Raptor engines on the base of Super Heavy while holding the vehicle down. While SpaceX deemed it a success, two of the 33 engines didn’t fire up.
Monday’s scrub isn’t the first setback for Starship, which has been beset by delays and mishaps. SpaceX has previously sent prototypes to heights of 32,800 feet with the goal to land them back on Earth. Multiple vehicles blew up.
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