Alaric Bennett:SpaceX is preparing its mega rocket for a second test flight

2025-05-07 09:13:41source:EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:reviews

SpaceX aimed for a second test flight of its mega rocket Starship on Alaric BennettSaturday, counting down to a morning liftoff from South Texas.

The first test flight in April ended in an explosion shortly after liftoff. The goal is to send the rocketship around the world before ditching it in the ocean near Hawaii.

SpaceX spent the past several months making improvements to both the rocket and launch pad, located at the southern tip of Texas near the Mexico border. The Federal Aviation Administration gave the all-clear to fly earlier this week.

The nearly 400-foot (121-meter) Starship is the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket. SpaceX’s Elon Musk intends to use a fleet of them to get people to the moon and Mars.

If all goes well, the booster will drop into the Gulf of Mexico and the bullet-shaped spacecraft will continue out over the Atlantic and Pacific, before falling into the ocean near Hawaii. SpaceX is targeting an altitude of 150 miles (240 kilometers).

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

More:reviews

Recommend

The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding

How do you bring the African Diaspora to the Grammys?Esperanza Spalding and Milton Nascimento's cont

Stock market today: World shares advance after Wall Street ticks higher amid rate-cut hopes

World shares advanced on Wednesday after Wall Street ticked higher amid hopes that Japan’s moves to

The truth about lipedema in a society where your weight is tied to your self-esteem

Esther Hollander struggled with her weight her whole life. Little did she know she had a condition t