SpaceX is all set, once again to fly its gargantuan Starship rocket — the most formidable launch vehicle ever built— after federal regulators approved the company’s plans for a third test flight.
The launch would be occurring anytime during a 110-minute window that opens at 7 a.m. CT (8 a.m. ET) on Thursday, according to an email from SpaceX sent out on Wednesday afternoon.
A live stream of the event will launch on the company’s website at least 30 minutes before takeoff.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has consistently characterized the rocket as crucial to the company’s founding mission, which is to put humans on Mars for the first time.
A report by CNN has said that the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches had given SpaceX the final green light for the mission on Wednesday afternoon.
This test flight is coming after two tries to get the massive Starship vehicle to orbital speeds in 2023 ended in explosions, with the spacecraft and booster bursting into flames before reaching their premeditated landing sites.
On the first occasion, it went out of control and exploded. The second time however, an onboard fire triggered its self-destruct mechanism.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has expressed his belief that the Starship has a high chance of successfully completing this third test flight.
He had said in social media:
“I don’t want to jinx it, but I think the probability of reaching orbit is good — [about] 80%. Certainly, the third flight is a much better rocket than flights one or two.”
