Starship first test flight is all set to take place on Monday

On Monday, SpaceX plans to launch Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, to send astronauts to the Moon and eventually further.

The launch is slated for 7:00 a.m. (1200 GMT) from the huge Texas headquarters of billionaire Elon Musk’s private space firm.

If Monday’s effort is cancelled, fallback times are set for later in the week.

NASA has chosen the Starship capsule to transport men to the Moon as part of the Artemis III mission, which is scheduled to launch in late 2025 at the earliest.

The Starship comprises a reusable capsule that carries personnel and cargo, as well as the first-stage Super Heavy booster rocket.

The 164-foot (50-meter) tall Starship spacecraft rests atop the 230-foot-tall Super Heavy rocket.

In February, SpaceX successfully tested the 33 Raptor engines on the first-stage rocket Starship.

The Super Heavy rocket was attached to the ground during the static fire to prevent it from lifting off.

The rocket has never flown in its full configuration, powered by its initial stage.

“Success is possible, but excitement is guaranteed!” Musk sent out a tweet late Friday.

NASA will launch personnel into lunar orbit using its heavy rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which has been improved for over a decade.

This is larger and more powerful than the SLS.

Its thrust is 17 million pounds, more than double that of the Saturn V rockets used to transport Apollo men to the Moon.

SpaceX envisions launching a Starship into orbit and refuelling it with another Starship to continue its voyage to Mars or beyond.

Musk’s overarching objective is to minimise the cost of reusable launchers. Eventually, each Starship flight may cost “less than $10 million,” he stated early last year.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn, China’s Long March 9, as well as Russia’s Yenisei are among the other super heavy rockets in development.

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