SpaceX gears up for first Starship test flight since record-breaking IPO

New York, New York - SpaceX is set for a test launch of its powerful Starship rocket Thursday, the first since the company went public.

SpaceX will host its first Starship launch since the company's massive IPO last month.   © - / SPACEX / AFP

The mammoth rocket is scheduled for blast-off during a 90-minute window that opens at 5:45 PM local time. It will be Starship's 13th flight overall.

As with all launches, unfavorable weather or technical issues could cause delays.

The flight's aims will be similar to those of a mostly successful voyage carried out in May, which debuted the latest edition of the powerful Starship, its third-generation model.

The goals of that test were essentially to demonstrate the new designs in flight.

It was not without a few glitches, however, including engine issues with the Super Heavy booster that necessitated a crash into the Gulf of Mexico rather than a precision return.

The company said, "there have been several modifications to hardware and software to address issues seen on the previous flight."

SpaceX will aspire this time around to execute a launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn and landing burn of the booster offshore without hiccups.

The upper stage will deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites, and the company will test out a relight of a Raptor engine in space, SpaceX said.

It will also test upgrades to Starship's heat shield.

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The latest flight comes one month after Elon Musk's SpaceX went public on Wall Street with a record IPO.

The rocket company has rapidly expanded its satellite internet service and voiced lofty ambitions for AI data centers in space.