SpaceX's huge Starship rocket failed to blast off on its first test flight today due to a frozen valve, but Elon Musk's firm is expected to try again within a few days
The maiden flight of SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket was cancelled minutes before a planned launch on 17 April. Here’s what happens next:While most of the countdown went smoothly, a crucial valve in the spacecraft froze over about 15 minutes before the planned launch. This prevented the first stage of the craft from pressurising properly, which would have made a launch dangerous if SpaceX officials had decided to go through with the attempt.
The countdown continued while Starship was loaded up with fuel for what is called a “wet dress rehearsal”, being stopped 10 seconds before zero, so the attempt wasn’t a total loss, but the pressurisation issue will have to be solved before another attempt can be made.The date for the next launch attempt hasn’t been released yet, but it will take at least two days to empty the fuel, fix the faulty valve and get Starship ready to fly again. As it stands, 19 April is the next possible launch date.
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