2023-11-17 07:52:15
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The launch of this rocket intended for trips to the Moon and the planet Mars was postponed due to technical problems. After a first unsuccessful attempt in the spring, Elon Musk’s company will carry out a new test flight on Saturday.
Published on 11/17/2023 07:22 Updated on 11/17/2023 08:52
Reading time: 1 min A phone is installed near the observer area as SpaceX’s massive spacecraft sits on the launch pad in Boca Chica, November 16, 2023, Texas. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
False start. SpaceX postponed by one day the highly anticipated second launch of the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, Starship, due to technical problems, announced Elon Musk, the boss of the American company, Thursday, November 16. This second test flight will be closely scrutinized by NASA, which is counting on this spacecraft for its return missions to the Moon, following a first attempt which ended in a huge explosion in the spring.
Elon Musk said on . “The launch is therefore postponed to Saturday”he concluded.
Preparing for launch on Saturday pic.twitter.com/gIpnubscWa
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2023
On April 20, Starship took off for the first time in its full configuration. But several engines did not work, and SpaceX intentionally blew up the rocket following four minutes. The rocket disintegrated into a ball of fire and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, sending a cloud of dust over a town several miles away.
In seven months, the launch pad was rebuilt, and a system of “deluge” water has been installed and tested. These downpours of water discharged when the engines are started must attenuate the acoustic waves, limiting vibrations. In the long term, SpaceX plans to use Starship to reach the planet Mars.
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