This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
SpaceX will now attempt to launch Starship Flight 8 on Wednesday, shared the firm in an update made moments back. Starship Flight 8 was initially planned to lift off yesterday evening Eastern time, but a last-minute scrub prevented it from doing so. SpaceX had not conducted a wet dress rehearsal ahead of Flight 8, and after the scrub, CEO Elon Musk shared on social media that low pressure in the Super Heavy booster's engine start systems led to a scrub. A Wednesday launch will mark less than two months for Starship's turnaround and enable SpaceX to test its second-generation upper stage for the first time.
SpaceX Gears Up To Launch Starship Flight 8 On Wednesday
Yesterday's Starship Flight 8 launch attempt was the first since the second flight in which SpaceX chose to use a holding window that opens 40 seconds before the rocket's launch. During pre-launch preparations for the test attempt, the firm continued to encounter problems with the upper stage and the rocket booster. Eventually, it decided to scrub the launch without providing additional details about the missed attempt.
Soon after the scrub, Elon Musk shared on social media that low "ground spin start pressure" along with other factors, contributed to his firm standing down from the Starship launch. Ground spin pressure refers to the pressure inside the Super Heavy rocket booster for a system that starts its rocket engines. The rocket engines are started through spin pumps, which ensure that they can pump propellants from tanks and ignite them at optimal conditions for liftoff.
While footage from local media shows a ship transport stand making its way to the launch pad, it is unclear whether SpaceX will de-stack the Starship rocket system ahead of tomorrow's launch attempt. As was the case with Flight 7, Flight 8 is a crucial test for the upper stage. If Starship launches, the upper-stage ship will fly for the second time tomorrow. The test will enable SpaceX to evaluate upgrades to the propellant system, new heat shield tiles and new forward flaps.
Crucially, Flight 8 will pave the way for two critical elements of Starship's launch and recovery profile. First, it will allow SpaceX to test hardware that will form the backbone of recovering the ship in the future by attempting to catch it with the launch pad. Second, a successful upper-stage test will also allow the firm to conduct a future in-space refueling run through which it will attempt to demonstrate its ability to set up a propellant depot in space.
Tomorrow's Starship launch window will open at 5:30 p.m. Central Time. The rocket will fly on a suborbital trajectory and also launch dummy Starlink satellites in another key test objective.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
