2023-11-17 06:34:46
Update
November 17, 2023
07:34
Seven months following a failed first launch, SpaceX has obtained authorization to try to launch its Starship rocket a second time. The test, which was originally scheduled for Friday, was postponed to Saturday.
The American aviation regulator, the FAA, gave the green light to SpaceX on Wednesday for Elon Musk’s aerospace company tries for a second time to launch its Starship rocketthe most powerful ever built, following a spectacular explosion in April.
In a statement, the FAA said the company had now “met all required criteria”, particularly in terms of safety, environment and financial responsibilityfollowing the failure of the first launch of its new generation rocket.
“We are targeting Friday, November 17 for the second Starship test launch,” SpaceX posted on X (formerly Twitter), in the wake of the FAA announcement.
Thursday evening, the boss of the firm, Elon Musk, announced however postpone the launch by one day, due to technical problems. Elon Musk indicated on X (formerly Twitter) that a part used to adjust and stabilize the two stages of the rocket during their descent phase, so that they can land in the right place and be subsequently reused, must be replaced. “The launch is therefore postponed to Saturday,” he concluded.
Launch scrutinized by NASA
The development of Starship is followed very closely by the Nasawho is counting on this ship to its Artemis missions back to the Moon. A modified version of the machine must, in fact, serve as a lunar lander to deposit astronauts on the lunar surface.
Starship is a giant rocket 120 meters highcomposed of two stages: the Super Heavy propulsion stage with its 33 engines and, above, the Starship, which by extension gives its name to the entire rocket.
Its real innovation is that it must be entirely reusablethe two stages being designed to return to land on their launch pad, thus reducing costs.
“We are concerned that this second launch will once once more create significant environmental damage.”
Fears of environmental damage
On April 20, Starship took off for the first time in its complete configuration from Texas. But several engines had not workedand the SpaceX teams had deliberately detonated the rocket following a few minutes.
The takeoff had propelled a cloud of dust several kilometers northwest of the launch pad, itself heavily damaged. Pieces of concrete had been catapulted under the power of the engines.
The failure led to the opening of an environmental and safety investigation by the FAA and several environmental protection NGOs had announced their intention to sue SpaceX. “We fear that this second launch will once once more create significant environmental damage,” Jared Margolis, lawyer for the NGO Center for Biological Diversity, told AFP.
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