SpaceX Delays Latest Starship Megarocket Test to Thursday

by Sergio Flores with Issam Ahmed in Washington

Elon Musk's SpaceX on Wednesday pushed back its latest orbital flight test of Starship, the colossal prototype rocket the company hopes will help humans colonize Mars.

"Due to weather, we're now targeting Thursday, January 16 for Starship's seventh flight test," the company said on X.

A 60-minute launch window from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, will open at 4:00 pm Central Time (2200 GMT), SpaceX said.

Another launch window will open at the same time on Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a fresh advisory.

Space enthusiasts will be eager to see if SpaceX can replicate the stunning feat of catching the first-stage Super Heavy booster in the launch tower's "chopstick" arms during descent, approximately seven minutes after liftoff. The maneuver was successfully achieved in October but not during the following flight in November.

Upcoming Advances in Launch Technology

This iteration of Starship is equipped with numerous upgrades:

• A taller structure with a height of 403 feet (123 meters), about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
• Redesigned upper-stage propulsion system capable of carrying 25% more propellant.
• Modified forward flaps to reduce exposure to intense heat during atmospheric reentry.

For the first time, Starship will deploy a payload: 10 Starlink simulators, comparable in size and weight to the company's internet satellites. Both the simulators and Starship's upper stage are set to splash down in the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch.

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SpaceX set for seventh test of Starship megarocket

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