Three weeks after the first successful "hop," SpaceX is planning another for its Starship prototype spacecraft.
The hop window is 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas, facility, as Cameron County issued an all-day closure for Boca Chica Beach. The spaceship could lift off as early as 10 a.m. to noon, according to Teslarati.
On Aug. 4, Starship SN5 became the first prototype to successfully launch about 500 feet into the air and land upright. This second attempt will use Starship SN6 with an entirely different Raptor engine.
Though the first test flight lasted barely 45 seconds, it was an important milestone for Starship and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who tweeted "Mars is looking real" after the first hop.
The Starship prototype is reminiscent of a tall grain silo -- 100 feet tall and made of steel with a cap on top. SpaceX plans to make this next-generation spacecraft one that takes people back to the moon and on to Mars.
Sunday is looking to be a busy day for SpaceX, as the company also has two rocket launches tentatively planned from Cape Canaveral, Florida. First up is a Falcon 9 carrying the twelfth batch of Starlink satellites. Then, another Falcon 9 will launch the SAOCOM 1B satellite for Argentina's space agency.
You can watch them live here.
- Tracking 3 disturbances in the tropics
- $6 million worth of cocaine seized in multi-agency operation
- Peaceful protesters gather in South Tampa, call for social justice and equality
- 'Black Panther' actor Chadwick Boseman dies at 43 after cancer battle
- New Florida COVID-19 cases stay below 4K for seventh day in a row, as percent positive dips below 5%
- Florida's largest teachers' union victory on reopening schools short-lived as judge reinstates emergency stay
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
