SpaceX is preparing for a second attempt to launch the Starship spacecraft, the most powerful rocket designed to take astronauts to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, on Thursday. The first scheduled launch on April 17 was aborted due to a pressurisation issue in the first-stage booster, just ten minutes before the launch.“SpaceX is targeting as soon as Thursday, April 20 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas. The 62-minute launch window opens at 8:28 am CT and closes at 9:30 am CT ,” said the space exploration company.The Starship spacecraft was developed by SpaceX to transport astronauts to the Moon and was selected by NASA for this purpose in late 2025. A 230-foot tall first-stage Super Heavy booster rocket supports a 164-foot long spaceship on top of it.ALSO READ |When and where to watch the launch of SpaceX’s Starshiphttps://www.cnbctv18.com/science/when-and-where-to-watch-the-launch-of-spacex-starship-elon-musk-16417831.htmApproximately three minutes after launch, if everything goes as planned, the Super Heavy rocket will separate from the Starship and land in the Gulf of Mexico. About 90 minutes after launch, the Starship will fly to an altitude of almost 150 miles and complete a nearly complete orbit of the Earth before landing in the Pacific Ocean not far from Hawaii.According to reports, the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, has been cautious about the test flight, noting the high risks involved. He cast some doubt on whether the launch would go ahead on April 20, saying that the team is working around the clock on many issues.ALSO READ | SpaceX gets US regulatory green light for debut Starship flight to spaceThe purpose of the test mission is to evaluate how well the spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket work together. SpaceX successfully tested 33 massive Raptor engines on the first-stage booster in February, but the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy rocket have never flown together.17 million pounds of thrust, more than twice as much as the Saturn V rockets that took the Apollo astronauts to the Moon, are produced by the Starship. Musk has stated that the ultimate objective is to establish bases on the Moon and Mars and put humans on the path to being a multi-planet civilisation. The goal is to reduce the cost to a few million dollars per flight by making Starship reusable.
