SpaceX Starship Rocket Launch Delayed To Later In April

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Monday that a critical test of the Starship Super Heavy rocket launch is likely to take place later this month rather than this week, as previously announced.

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According to SpaceX, Starship is envisioned as a fully reusable transportation system that can carry astronauts and cargo to the moon, Mars, Earth orbit, and beyond. In this first launch of a fully stacked 394-foot (120-meter) tall Starship rocket system, SpaceX is scheduled to launch the rocket from its Starbase facilities at Boca Chica in South Texas in the company's first launch of the massive rocket system. An upper stage that has been fully stacked means that all its parts have been assembled, and the upper stage is sitting on top of the booster.

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"There is a good chance that the launch of the Starship will take place by the end of the third week of April," Musk wrote on Twitter a day after stating that "it was prepared for launch and awaiting regulatory approval."

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On April 4, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted a notice stating that the primary expected launch date was Monday of this week, but it listed backup dates of Tuesday and Wednesday of this week as well. Last week, Musk said that he expected Starship to be ready for launch by the end of this week.

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As a result of the FAA's revised notice that was issued on Monday, the launch is now expected to take place on April 17 instead of April 24.

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For what is expected to be SpaceX's first orbital flight test from Boca Chica, the company must still get a launch license from the FAA before it can start its test. There is one key hurdle that remains to be overcome - completing a review of federal environmental compliance.

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In order to launch the Starship rocket system, a Starship rocket must sit atop a "Super Heavy" first-stage booster, which is powered by 33 rocket engines. There is a plan to launch the second stage of the Starship rocket into space and have it reach an orbit around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and splashing down off the coast of Hawaii after completing a full orbit around the planet. In addition, it is planned that the Super Heavy booster would land near the launch site in Texas, as part of the launch strategy.

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