SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, conducted its final preparations early this Monday for the first launch of its new rocket system "Starship" into space, on a short crewless test flight that is receiving significant attention from the Texas Gulf Coast.
The two-stage rocket, standing 120 meters tall, is scheduled to launch from a SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, during a two-hour launch window that opens at 8:00 AM Eastern Time (12:00 PM GMT).
This experiment represents a milestone in SpaceX's ambition to send humans back to the moon and ultimately to Mars, which is also the main goal of NASA's spaceflight program. However, SpaceX faces enormous challenges in simply launching a spacecraft that would immediately become the most powerful rocket on Earth if it successfully launches.
Musk told a select audience on Twitter late Sunday, "Don’t expect success," adding that "the best-case scenario will provide important data on how the vehicle ascends into space and how it returns to Earth." He mentioned that "success may not happen tomorrow... it's a very hard thing."
Musk added that "it's likely the flight will be delayed instead of launched today." SpaceX has backup launch windows available on Tuesday and Wednesday at similar times.
The California-based company stated on Twitter earlier on Sunday that its launch teams are proceeding with preparations for the flight while closely monitoring the weather, as changing wind speeds or directions could lead to a delay.
