SpaceX engineers prepared to send the company’s massive Starship rocket into space on Tuesday, ending a two-day technical delay and bad weather that grounded previous launch attempts. The one-hour launch window opens at 6:30 pm CDT (7:30 pm EDT; 23:30 UTC) from SpaceX’s rocket development site in South Texas.
The Starship launch team aims to launch the rocket halfway around the world, toward a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. However, previous test flights failed due to engineering challenges, including the heat shield protection system.
“The single biggest challenge is the reusable orbital heat shield,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO. “We’re making progress with our latest generation tiles and added protection layers.”
The rocket will carry over 10 million pounds of cryogenic methane and liquid oxygen propellants into space. The 404-foot-tall (123.1-meter) rocket has been designed to withstand temperatures up to 2,600°F (1,430°C) during re-entry.
SpaceX will attempt to launch the rocket after fixing a plumbing leak that detected on Sunday and mitigating the risk of lightning in the area on Monday evening. The third time is hoped to be the charm for the Starship team as they push forward with the 10th test flight.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/with-starship-spacex-encounters-an-obstacle-that-haunted-nasas-space-shuttles