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SpaceX has delayed its Starship Flight 7 by a day, the firm announced in a fresh social media post moments back. Starship Flight 7 was slated to lift off in the evening today, Eastern Time, but weather constraints were a watch item. Starship is now slated to lift off at 4 p.m. central time tomorrow from Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX confirmed that the launch has been delayed due to weather constraints, and its director of Starship engineering, Shana Diez, shared on X that tomorrow appears to be a good day for the world's largest rocket under development to launch.
SpaceX Delays Starship Flight 7 By A Day As It Waits For Weather To Clear
While SpaceX just confirmed that Starship Flight 7 will be delayed, indications of the launch shifting forward had started to appear yesterday. Due to the risky nature of a rocket launch, roads surrounding the launch site are closed off. Authorities in Boca Chica, Texas, extended road closures to January 16th and January 17th yesterday, which indicated that SpaceX had decided to reserve the days in case today's liftoff was canceled.
Throughout the day today, the weather in Boca Chica remained cloudy with rain showers. This made it unlikely that Starship would launch today, as weather conditions have to remain within tolerance to ensure a safe and successful launch. Some concerning conditions present today include low-level winds and cumulous clouds, both of which are key watch items for any rocket launch.
Weather conditions for tomorrow are expected to be much better with no rain showers and less cloudy conditions along with less fierce winds.
The improved weather conditions for Thursday were also mentioned by SpaceX's director of Starship engineering, Shana Diez, on X. After SpaceX confirmed the delay, Diez noted that the "weather is super squirrelly this week."
She added that her firm "thought yesterday was going to be a wind disaster," but in the end, "it turned out to be not so bad." This was the reason behind SpaceX cancelling today's launch less than 12 hours before liftoff. Yet, Diez also shared that "Tomorrow looks good so far to be our day!," making it likely that Flight 7 lifts off tomorrow.
As was the case with Flight 6, the upper stage Starship spacecraft will be the star of the show during Flight 7. The upcoming launch is the first for SpaceX's redesigned Starship upper stage with upgraded flaps, avionics, propulsion and heat shield tiles. SpaceX will also test the rocket's suitability for a tower catch, and according to Elon Musk, if the ship makes a successful soft splashdown, then his firm might attempt to catch it with the tower on Flight 8.
The Super Heavy booster's engines will be another watch item as SpaceX is flying one reused engine on the upcoming flight. The upper stage ship will also launch Starlink dummies in space and perform an in-space Raptor reignition. The latter test is key for the ship's orbital certification and a stepping stone for a potential in-space refueling demonstration later this year.
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