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SpaceX's Starship Flight 7 has been delayed until Wednesday, according to the latest update shared by the firm moments back. SpaceX has previously cautioned that it is keeping an eye on launch site weather conditions for its pre-flight operations as it heads toward launch. The firm's latest Starship update follows a wet dress rehearsal of Flight 7 in Texas earlier today. It saw SpaceX fully load the 232-feet-tall Super Heavy rocket booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft with propellant to simulate launch operations ahead of flight.
SpaceX's Starship Flight 7 Is Delayed Potentially Due To Weather Concerns
SpaceX shared the latest Starship update after conducting a Starship wet dress rehearsal earlier today. As part of the test, the firm loaded the rocket with 11 million pounds of methane and liquid oxygen. While SpaceX did not share any outcomes of the wet dress rehearsal, statements made by employees on X suggest that the test was successful.
Assuming that the wet dress rehearsal was successful, then the only reason behind Starship's Flight 7 delay is the weather. SpaceX stacked the upper-stage Starship spacecraft on the Super Heavy booster last week, and before the stacking, it announced a Monday launch date for the world's largest rocket under development. As part of its announcement, the firm noted that teams were "keeping an eye on weather conditions for preflight operations" ahead of launch.
Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the launch delay could be due to the unfavorable weather conditions that the firm mentioned.
Starship Flight 7 will set the pace for the rest of the test campaign because of the litany of upgrades that SpaceX has made on the upper-stage ship. One of the most important upgrades is a propulsion system redesign with larger tanks and new computers to control the Raptor engines. During Flight 7, SpaceX will also conduct an in-space ignition of a Raptor engine in hopes of gaining certification for an orbital Starship test flight.
The propulsion upgrades also build on SpaceX's plan for an in-space Starship refueling test later this year. This test is a key milestone for NASA's Artemis program as it will let SpaceX test the technology to build a space propellant depot. This depot will fuel NASA's Human Landing System (HLS) lunar lander, which aims to land the first humans on the Moon since the Apollo program.
Other changes on the ship include redesigned forward (upper) flaps and new heat shield tiles coupled with additional insulation under them. SpaceX will also evaluate the rocket's performance for a potential tower catch on later flights. Previous statements from Elon Musk have suggested that the catch could occur on Flight 8 if the upper stage successfully splashes down in the ocean once again on Flight 7. The upper stage will also launch Starlink satellite simulators while it is in space.
As for the booster, SpaceX will reuse a Raptor engine on the rocket for the first time. It will also attempt to catch the booster with the tower catch arms again after skipping the catch on Flight 6 due to tower damage.
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