Under cloudy Texas skies, SpaceX’s towering Starship rocket—comprised of the 232-feet Super Heavy booster and 171-feet upper stage—remained grounded Monday as weather forecasts prompted a last-minute scrub.
After fueling with millions of pounds of propellant, teams awaited an 8 p.m. EST liftoff, but persistent clouds led SpaceX to convert the countdown into a full-scale rehearsal. The team now has its sights set on a Tuesday attempt at 7:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT).
The delay follows a liquid oxygen leak that dashed a Sunday launch window, underscoring the complexity of preparing the world’s most powerful rocket. CEO Elon Musk joined the live broadcast Monday to discuss Starship’s reusable design and its pivotal role in future Mars missions.
This 10th flight aims to recover from earlier setbacks: two early-flight failures, a ninth-flight anomaly in orbit, and a June test stand explosion that scattered debris across the border. SpaceX’s test-to-failure philosophy pushes prototypes to their limits, trading early mishaps for critical data to refine Starship’s next generation.
As the countdown clock resets, the global space community watches closely. With every launch, SpaceX edges closer to unlocking routine interplanetary travel—and bringing humanity one step nearer to the Red Planet.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
