SpaceX prepares for 10th test launch of massive Starship rocket
SpaceX is getting ready for the 10th test launch of its massive Starship rocket, the largest type of rocket ever built.
The planned launch, from a SpaceX facility near Boca Chica Beach in Texas, is scheduled to occur during a one-hour window that opens at 7:30 pm ET. The company says it will start a live webcast about 30 minutes before takeoff.
SpaceX wants to put the two-stage rocket’s massive booster through its paces, testing out a series of burns and having it hover over the Gulf of Mexico before ending its flight by dropping down into the water. The rocket’s upper stage, or section, will go on a suborbital flight that will involve an attempt to deploy simulated satellites.
This flight test comes after the multibillion-dollar Starship program has suffered a streak of failures this year. The last flight, in May, saw the rocket lose control. In June, a preflight engine test resulted in a rocket exploding on the launch pad, sending up a dramatic fireball.
The expensive rocket losses are adding up, but SpaceX founder Elon Musk has taken a publicly sanguine stance, posting on social media that “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”
Still, getting Starship to work is important for both NASA and SpaceX. NASA is depending on Starship to be the vehicle that lands astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972, and had been hoping to use it for that purpose as soon as 2027.
Musk founded SpaceX with the goal of making humanity a multi-planetary species. He wants Starship to be able to take people to Mars so that they can colonize the red planet. Closer to home, he also wants to use Starship to deploy Starlink satellites.
He and SpaceX are no strangers to having to weather a run of bad test flights when developing a new rocket. SpaceX’s very first rocket, the Falcon 1, suffered three failed launch attempts before finally reaching orbit in 2008.
And even as Starship struggles, SpaceX continues its everyday work in supporting NASA’s missions to the International Space Station. Earlier on Sunday, a robotic SpaceX capsule carrying food and other supplies for the station astronauts successfully lifted off on one of the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rockets.
A ban on feeding pigeons ruffles lots of feathers in Mumbai
The pigeon population has exploded — a result of people feeding the birds. For some it's a holy duty and a way to connect to nature. Critics point to health risks tied to exposure to pigeon droppings.
‘Rosemead’ tells a tragic — and true — story
The new movie stars Lucy Liu as an ailing mother to Joe, played by Lawrence Shou as a teenager facing mental illness in his feature debut role.
From 400-year-old globes to cosmic shrouds: A Maine library brings maps to life
From 400-year-old globes to cosmic funeral shrouds, how the Osher Map Library in Maine shows people that maps aren't just for navigation — but windows into history, culture, and how we see the world.
Benin’s interior minister says a coup announced earlier has been foiled
Earlier, a group of soldiers had appeared on Benin 's state TV Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.
A fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state kills at least 25, officials say
At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India's Goa state, the state's chief minister said Sunday.
National parks fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump’s birthday
The Trump administration, which has railed against what it describes as "woke" policies, removed MLK Day and Juneteenth from next year's list of fare-exempt days for visitors at dozens of national parks.
