SpaceX introduces Sunday Starship Megarocket: Get launch time, where to look, other details here

SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, is preparing for the next test launch of his massive Starship Rocket this Sunday, after a series of recent setbacks that have led some to doubt the feasibility of the project. The powerful launch vehicle, which is currently the most powerful in the world, is scheduled to mark its tenth flight from the company’s Starbase facility in southern Texas at 18:30 Local Time (2330 GMT). Watch SpaceX Starship Launch Live Here the mission is designed to test the top phase of the rocket through a series of maneuvers while moving halfway around the world before making a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Unlike previous attempts, SpaceX will not try to restore the booster phase using the massive “dining stick” arms of the launcher tower. Starship plays a key role in Elon Musk’s long -term vision to establish a human presence on Mars. At the same time, Nasa rely on a specially adapted version of the vehicle to serve as the Moonlander for his Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon. But all three test flights so far in 2025 ended in the upper stage – twice in fiery cascades over the Caribbean and once after reaching space. In June, another upper stage exploded on the ground during a “static fire” test, AFP reports, SpaceX’s “Fail Fast, Learn Fast” ethos has long been credited with its remarkable track record, which gave it a good lead in the launch thanks to its Falcon Rocket family. But the setbacks of the Starship arose about whether the company could repeat the success with the greatest and most powerful rocket in history. ‘Lot of Pression’ Dallas Kasaboski, a spatial analyst at consulting firm Analysys Mason, told AFP that the recent failures are starting to get the Sheen of SpaceX’s golden reputation. “I think there’s a lot of pressure on this mission,” he said. “We had so many tests and it did not prove itself reliable – the successes did not exceed the failures.” He added: “SpaceX is building stars that are lighter in an attempt to increase the load to useful levels, but this makes it much weaker than they should be” – leading to structural failures seen during recent tests, AFP reports. Even with a successful tenth test, significant technical challenges are ahead of the achievement of complete, rapid reusability at a low cost and demonstrating the ability to fill super-cooled propellant in orbit, a critical requirement for the exploration of space. Despite these obstacles and criticism of environmental groups on the ecological impact of the rocket, SpaceX is still going forward. The company is preparing its launch schedule and expanding infrastructure in Florida, with new launch and landing facilities developed in the Kennedy Space Center. (With input of AFP)