SpaceX postpones launch of “most powerful” rocket

SpaceX stopped a launch attempt for its Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft in Boca Chica, Texas, on Monday. The 230-foot rocket has 33 engines and can generate 16.7 million pounds of thrust, the company said, making it the most powerful rocket ever built. Engineers planned for Starship to complete a partial orbit of Earth before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii. The Federal Aviation Administration approved the test launch on Friday, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the flight was canceled on Monday due to a valve problem. Musk said another attempt will not be made before Wednesday.

What is the goal of Starship? SpaceX won a $2.9 billion contract from NASA in 2021 to land astronauts on the moon as part of the Artemis program. NASA awarded SpaceX a second contract for $1.15 billion last year, also for the Artemis program. According to SpaceX, the spacecraft can transport up to 100 people and 250 tons of cargo.

Dig deeper: Listen to Paul Butler and Myrna Brown’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the next phase of American space exploration.