STARBASE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Preparations are underway for SpaceX’s second test flight of Starship from Boca Chica Beach.
SpaceX announced that a two-hour launch window would open at 7 a.m. CT Saturday. ValleyCentral has a news crew at the launch site, and will livestream it in this article.
“This is another chance to put Starship in a true flight environment, maximizing how much we learn,” SpaceX stated.
This will be the second test of a fully integrated Starship, nearly seven months after the first launch. This second test will debut a “hot-stage separation system,” as well as thrust vector control system.
According to a timeline, if all goes according to plan, Starship’s engine cutoff will happen eight and a half minutes after launch and will make a water landing in the Pacific Ocean an hour and a half after launch.
The Super Heavy booster is expected to make a water landing in the Gulf of Mexico.
On April 20, SpaceX launched its first Starship test flight, which self-destructed over the Gulf of Mexico four minutes after launch. SpaceX stated that multiple engines on the 33-engine booster were not firing as the rocket ascended, causing it to lose altitude and begin tumbling.
The rocket was destroyed by its self-destructing system, exploding and plummeting into the water.
“As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation,” SpaceX stated.
During the first launch, thousands of spectators watched from South Padre Island Highway, Highway 48, Port Isabel and other surrounding areas. Following the launch, residents in Port Isabel reported seeing dust falling from the sky that covered portions of the city.
