The path of Elon Musk’s rocket is very complicated and long! The second attempt to put the Stasrhip rocket into orbit for testing should take place on Saturday, not on Friday, as announced. Malfunction is a technical problem. Seven months have passed since the first full-scale Starship test, which ended in an explosion.

The delay is due to a technical problem, as the part that allows the adjustment and stabilization of the two stages of the rocket during descent must be changed so that the two stages can be reused.

The launch will take place on November 18 from Starbase Boca Chica, Texas, in a 20-minute “window” starting at 7:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. Romanian time). If it doesn’t work out on Saturday, then the “backup” date is November 19.

Recall that the launches became possible at the end of November, after the Federal Aviation Administration gave Elon Musk’s company approval for a second orbital launch, almost seven months after the first test, conducted on April 20, which was a failure.

The system consists of two parts: the Starship is the spacecraft/booster stage (with six Raptor engines) and the Super Heavy is the booster/main stage with 33 Raptor engines needed to escape Earth’s gravity.

In this test, Elon Musk and his people hope that the superheavy rocket and Starship will stay in space even longer. Three minutes after launch, the two mega-elements should separate and go their separate ways. In this test, too, SpaceX will not recover any of the elements, but hopes they will successfully separate and land successfully in the ocean (Super Heavy eight minutes after launch, Starship 90 minutes).

The Starship will not make a complete revolution, but it is expected to reach a speed of 28,100 km/h and reach an altitude of 250 km.

The Starship stage, which is 50 meters long and equipped with six Raptor engines, should enter Earth orbit for this test in the fall of 2023, or one that is very likely to take place in the first half of 2024. If Starship reaches orbit, another critical “threshold” will be for the heat shield to withstand temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius after re-entry.

The Starship rocket is essential to NASA’s Artemis program to return humans to the Moon, so it’s important to conduct as many tests as possible at the shortest possible intervals.

On April 20, Starship lifted off in full configuration for the first time, but several engines failed and the SpaceX ground team intentionally detonated the rocket with the Flight Termination System (FTS).

The detonation occurred at an altitude of 40 km, but the thrown debris also destroyed part of the launch pad. These months, SpaceX installed a launch vibration damping system on the ramp.