Elon Musk’s SpaceX postponed the first orbital launch of its Starship rocket, citing an issue with the pressurization system in the Super Heavy booster.
The company said it would be at least 48 hours before it makes another launch attempt.
- Last week, the FAA granted SpaceX a Starship launch license, clearing the company to attempt the first orbital launch of its super rocket.
- SpaceX planned to launch the rocket on Monday, April 17, but called off the launch with about 15 minutes left in the countdown.
- The FAA’s license is valid for five years.
- SpaceX’s Starship stands at 119 meters or 390 feet; it is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built and is intended to be fully reusable.
- In a private Twitter space on Sunday evening, Musk said success for the planned Starship launch would be gathering data, even if the first orbital launch isn’t successful.
- SpaceX had originally planned to conduct its first Starship orbital launch in summer 2021; however, various delays pushed the timeline back.