SpaceX prepares for seventh test of Starship space rocket

The launch window from the company's base in Boca Chica, Texas, opens at 4 p.m. (after midnight EDT) on Thursday, Jan. 16, and will be streamed live on the X social network.
Elon Musk's SpaceX is preparing for the seventh orbital flight of Starship, the colossal prototype rocket the company hopes will help humans colonize Mars.
The launch window from the company's base in Boca Chica, Texas, opens at 4 p.m. (after midnight EDT) on Thursday, Jan. 16, and will be streamed live on the social network X.
Space enthusiasts will be eager to see if SpaceX can advance one more step toward its goal.
This time, SpaceX announced that it has implemented "hardware enhancements to the launch and capture tower to increase reliability for capturing the booster once it separates from the rest of the rocket.
Starship has also undergone several design improvements. Its latest iteration is now 123 meters tall, slightly taller than previous versions.
Upgrades include a redesigned upper stage propulsion system that can carry 25% more fuel, as well as modifications to the forward flaps. They have been reduced in size and relocated to limit their exposure to intense heat during re-entry.
For the first time, Starship will deploy a payload: 10 so-called Starlink "simulators," comparable in size and weight to the company's Internet satellites. Both the simulators and Starship's upper stage should descend into the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch.
SpaceX already dominates the orbital launch market with its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, which serve commercial customers, NASA and the Pentagon.
However, the company has made it clear that it sees its future in Starship, with Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell recently indicating that it will succeed the Falcon rockets around the beginning of the next decade. | BGNES, AFP