The SpaceX Starship SN11 flight scheduled for today has been delayed, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.


The delay, according to Musk, is due to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unable to reach Starbase on time for the launch.

According to Texas authorities, the Starship SN11 rocket was scheduled to launch from SpaceX's Starbase test site near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on Monday between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. EDT (1700-2200 GMT).

On March 12, the Federal Aviation Administration updated SpaceX's Starship license. The authorizing agency safety officer should be present at SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas launch site for any mission.

"This is the result of FAA's continuing oversight of SpaceX to ensure compliance with federal regulations to protect public safety, including issues arising from the SN8 launch in December 2020," an FAA spokesperson told FOX Business. "SpaceX must provide adequate notice of its launch schedule to allow for [an] FAA safety inspector to travel to Boca Chica."

If SpaceX successfully launched the Starship SN11 on Tuesday, the rocket would cross a height of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) before attempting a landing.

You'll be able to watch directly from SpaceX itself and on YouTube. The webcast for a Starship launch attempt typically starts about 5 minutes before the attempt.

The proposed Starship SN11 launch on Tuesday follows an earlier attempt on Friday (March 26). SpaceX test-fired the rocket's three Raptor engines but decided against attempting a launch to give the spacecraft some time to undergo additional tests.


What is Starship SN11?

The Starship SN11 is the most recent research platform for SpaceX's proposed entirely reusable launch system for deep-space missions to the moon and Mars.

The Starship is 160 feet long with a 30-foot diameter and is made of stainless steel. SpaceX claims to be capable of launching more than 100 metric tons into orbit.

According to Space.com, officials for the corporation also confirmed that Starship, including their latest Falcon 9 rocket, could begin deploying satellites into Earth's orbit as early as 2022. 

So far, the company has released three vehicles: the SN8, SN9, and SN10. Attempts to land the SN8 and SN9 Starships failed, with the spacecraft crashing and burning.

The Starship SN10 prototype took to the air on March 3 and landed safely, but it exploded shortly afterward. The Starship SN11 test flight is expected to be a resounding success for SpaceX.


Elon Musk's Ambitious Plans for Mars

Musk has ambitious proposals for a Mars flight.

He said in December that he was "extremely optimistic" that SpaceX's Starship would land humans on Mars by 2026.

The Starship will also be key in Musk's planned private commercial space flight set to launch in 2023. Independent.co.uk said it's impossible to tell who will be participating in the missions to Mars with such a hazy timetable.

For flights to the International Space Station, SpaceX also collaborates closely with NASA. A squad of astronauts visited Starship SN11 last week.

With the caption "similar values, joint vision," NASA astronaut Christina Koch posted a photo of herself and colleagues Michael Barratt, Reid Wiseman, and Matthew Dominick standing in front of the prototype.

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