Florida Today by Emre Kelly 4/14/2023
The signs are always there when the next big rocket launch is around the corner: social media chatter picks up, hotels sell out, press conferences get underway, and thousands gather to support and spectate.
But this time, the buzz doesn't revolve around Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Instead, all eyes are on the southernmost tip of Texas, where SpaceX is gearing up to launch its massive Starship system on its first orbital flight attempt.
If everything goes according to plan, this will mark the first time the combined system – Super Heavy booster below and Starship vehicle on top – takes flight from Starbase, a SpaceX-owned facility just outside Brownsville, Texas. Previous test flights, which often ended explosively, only featured the Starship vehicle itself, but this time the combined 400-foot vehicle is taking flight.
The only things standing in the way: some minor hardware work and a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration. Current federal requests point to a liftoff between Monday, April 17, and Friday, April 21. Many believe Musk would be happy to see Starship fly on April 20, or 4/20, which is often used to reference all things marijuana-related and has become a favorite joke for Musk.
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Though SpaceX is perhaps most well-known for landing its Falcon 9 boosters on land and drone ships, Starship will be doomed to a watery grave for this mission.
After liftoff from Starbase, Starship and Super Heavy will fly east over the Gulf of Mexico. Once the booster's job is done, it will attempt a soft landing in the waters of the Gulf. Starship will continue on through the Straits of Florida, perform one orbit, and, to ensure public safety, end in the Pacific Ocean with a controlled water landing of its own.
There is no customer payload flying on this demonstration mission. To date, SpaceX is estimated to have spent at least several billion dollars on the Starship program.
More:
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2023/04/14/in-texas-spacex-ready-to-bet-the-house-on-first-orbital-starship-launch/70100858007/
