SpaceX to Attempt Another Starship Rocket Launch After Mid-Air Explosion

SpaceX’s Starship vital to Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars
Launch is closely watched do-over from explosive April debut

The SpaceX Starship on the launchpad at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 16.Photographer: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

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By Loren Grush

November 17, 2023 at 10:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is poised to launch its deep-space Starship rocket system Saturday from South Texas for the second time ever, a critical mission roughly seven months after the vehicle’s first major test flight ended explosively in mid-air.

The Starship spacecraft, designed to launch on top of its massive Super Heavy booster, is set for lift-off at 7 a.m. local time on Nov. 18 from SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. The company has a 20-minute launch window on Saturday.