tech
SpaceX scrubs test flight of massive Starship rocket, will retry Friday
SpaceX's attempted Starship launch follows the company's release of its IPO prospectus, which set the stage for what's likely to be a record offering.
TL;DR
- SpaceX scrubbed the Starship rocket's 12th test flight on Thursday, with a retry planned for Friday.
- The launch will feature Starship V3, designed for 100 metric tons to orbit and rapid turnaround.
- The company has invested over $15 billion in the Starship program.
- Starship is essential for accelerating Starlink satellite deployment.
- The new Starship version will launch from a newly designed pad at SpaceX's Starbase, Texas facility.
- This test flight is important for SpaceX's upcoming IPO.
- Starlink is a major source of revenue and profit for SpaceX.
- SpaceX aims to use Starship for Mars colonization.
- NASA plans to use Starship as a lunar lander for the Artemis IV mission in 2028.
- Starship V3 is 408 feet tall and features new engines with 18 million pounds of thrust.
- The test flight will carry mock Starlink satellites, not astronauts or other cargo.