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CEO Elon Musk said SpaceX has delayed the launch of the high altitude launch of the Starship Serial Number 11 (SN11) from Friday to Monday to ensure at best that the company can “land and fully recover” the steel rocket. 50 meters high.
First and foremost, the weekend will allow SpaceX to spend time doing “extra checks” and scouring the Starship SN11 and the data it produced during testing for any red flags or issues. minor. While plans for a static fire and a same-day launch failed on Friday, March 26, SpaceX handled the first half, only lighting one of Starship’s three Raptors to check on the health of the replacement engine after a Raptor trade on Thursday. . The test marked the first time SpaceX has intentionally triggered a single of the Raptors installed on a prototype three-engine spacecraft, so the delay will provide extra time to make sure all three still look good.
Standing SN11 until probably Monday. Additional crates are needed. Do our best to land and fully recover.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2021
The weather in Boca Chica, TX has also worsened in recent days, so the extra few days will also (hopefully) allow time for the wind, visibility and precipitation conditions to improve. According to Musk, the Starship SN11 is now scheduled to fly as early as Monday “afternoon” and, as usual, SpaceX will offer live coverage of the fourth high-altitude launch and the attempted landing starting minutes before takeoff.
Hopefully the Starship prototype will be able to continue an iterative improvement trend and One-up Starship SN10 with a slightly softer landing and no explosion a few minutes after touchdown. Stay tuned for updates here and on SpaceX’s social media platforms to watch the official webcast.
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