NEW YORK: SpaceX is set for a test launch of its powerful Starship rocket on Thursday, the first since the company went public last month.
The mammoth rocket is scheduled for blast-off from the company's Starbase facility in southern Texas during a 90-minute window that opens at 5:45 pm local time (2245 GMT). It will be Starship's 13th flight overall.
As with all launches, unfavorable weather or technical issues could cause delays.
But as of Thursday afternoon, SpaceX said it was "on track."
The flight's aims will be similar to those of a mostly successful voyage carried out in May, which debuted the latest edition of the powerful Starship, its third generation model.
The goals of that test were essentially to demonstrate the new designs in flight.
It was not without a few glitches, however, including engine issues with the Super Heavy booster that necessitated a crash into the Gulf of Mexico rather than a precision return.
The company said, "There have been several modifications to hardware and software to address issues seen on the previous flight."
SpaceX will aspire this time around to execute a launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn and landing burn of the booster offshore without hiccups.
The upper stage will deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites, and SpaceX said it will test out a relight of a Raptor engine in space.
It will also test upgrades to Starship's heat shield.
The latest flight comes one month after Elon Musk's SpaceX went public on Wall Street with a record initial public offering.
The rocket company has rapidly expanded its satellite internet service and voiced lofty ambitions for AI data centers in space.
