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Saturday, February 15, 2025

SpaceX Launches Upgraded Starship Amid Fierce Space Race

The rivalry between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, two of the world’s richest men, is reaching new heights, as SpaceX prepares to launch its latest iteration of the Starship rocket on Thursday, following Blue Origin’s landmark orbital success with its New Glenn rocket.

The towering Starship, heralded as the largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built, is set to lift off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The launch window opens at 4:00 PM local time (2200 GMT), marking a pivotal test in SpaceX’s quest to revolutionize space travel and eventually enable missions to Mars.

This test flight introduces a series of upgrades to both the rocket and its recovery system. The Super Heavy booster, the rocket’s first stage, is set to attempt a daring return, aiming to be caught by the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms roughly seven minutes after liftoff. This maneuver, previously successful in October, failed during a subsequent November attempt, which resulted in the booster splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.

Starship itself has been enhanced to improve its performance and durability. Standing at an impressive 403 feet (123 meters), the rocket now features a redesigned upper-stage propulsion system capable of carrying 25% more propellant. Its forward flaps have also been repositioned and slimmed to reduce heat exposure during reentry.

For the first time, the test will include the deployment of 10 Starlink simulators, which mimic the company’s internet satellites. These payloads, along with the rocket’s upper stage, are expected to land in the Indian Ocean approximately an hour after launch.

This mission comes as SpaceX faces mounting pressure to demonstrate the reliability of its next-generation rocket, especially after Blue Origin’s New Glenn achieved its own orbital milestone overnight. While SpaceX has long dominated the orbital launch market with its Falcon 9 rockets, the emergence of New Glenn signals a potential shift in the competitive landscape of commercial space exploration.

The test represents another step in SpaceX’s iterative development of Starship, reflecting its philosophy of rapid prototyping and testing. As the company ramps up efforts to make space travel more accessible and efficient, Thursday’s launch will be closely watched by industry experts and space enthusiasts alike.

Pyae Phyo Kyaw
Author: Pyae Phyo Kyaw

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