SpaceX has gotten the go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the fourth test flight of its Starship rocket. This means the launch, expected to be quite spectacular, will soon happen at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
This launch is very important because of its power and what it could mean for the future of space travel. The Starship is 120 meters tall and will use its 33 Raptor engines to create 17 million pounds of thrust. This is almost twice the power of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which has only been launched once in 2022.
The Starship’s journey has had its ups and downs. It has completed three flights so far, including a 45-minute flight in March that ended in the Indian Ocean. Early tests, however, ended in dramatic explosions shortly after takeoff. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX has learned a lot from each attempt and keeps getting better.
SpaceX has been getting ready for this launch for a while, waiting for FAA approval. Now that they have it, engineers are making final changes to ensure everything goes smoothly.
The launch will happen in a 120-minute window starting at 8 a.m. ET/5:30 p.m. IST on Thursday. People around the world can watch the launch live on SpaceX’s social media channels.
Beyond just the launch, SpaceX is highlighting the importance of the Starship program. They want to make space travel more accessible and cheaper by designing rockets that can be quickly reused.
Looking to the future, SpaceX aims to do more than just orbit the Earth. They plan to use the Starship for moon missions before the end of the decade. Their biggest goal is to send people to Mars, though this will take several more years of preparation and development.