After it received a license from the Federal Aviation Authority, SpaceX’s Starship, the biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built, was set for its second launch today. But now, the Elon Musk-led company has postponed the launch to Saturday, November 18.
“We need to replace a grid fin actuator, so launch is postponed to Saturday,” tweeted SpaceX CEO and founder Musk on Friday. Grid fins are the waffle-iron-like structures on Starship’s Super Heavy first stage, according to Space.com. They help the booster steer its way back to Earth.
Now, the SpaceX Starship is set to launch for a second time from the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas during a 20-minute launch window that happens at 6.30 PM IST on Saturday, November 18. Ahead of the launch, a live stream link will be added below. You can also watch it on the company’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
Starship’s first launch attempt in April was only somewhat successful. During takeoff, Starship damaged the launchpad at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. This caused parts of the launchpad to scatter across the area. Perhaps that would have been understandable but the launch vehicle itself exploded a few minutes after takeoff and did not complete the mission objectives.
The Starship spacecraft and the super heavy rocket, together known as Starship, are the next step in SpaceX’s launch system. Once finished, Starship will be the biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever made. It’s built to transport both astronauts and cargo to Earth’s orbit.
After an investigation into the April explosion, the FAA grounded Starship. SpaceX was asked by federal regulators to make several changes and take many corrective steps before reapplying for the license.
NASA will be closely monitoring as SpaceX tests Starship’s development. This launch vehicle is vital for many of NASA’s future Artemis missions to the Moon. However, due to delays with Starship, some future Artemis missions may be postponed.