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SpaceX's next Starship launch scheduled for Thursday

SpaceX's Starship lifts off from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight before exploding near Brownsville on April 20, 2023.
Joe Skipper
/
Reuters
SpaceX's Starship lifts off from the company's Boca Chica launchpad in 2023.

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SpaceX will again attempt to conduct its eighth test flight of the massive Starship rocket from its South Texas launch site. Thursday's launch window opens at 5:30 p.m.

SpaceX scrubbed an attempt on Monday—less than a minute before launch.

In a statement, SpaceX explained that the "upcoming flight will fly the same suborbital trajectory as previous missions and will target objectives not reached on the previous test, including Starship’s first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments geared towards returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch. The flight also includes the launch, return, and catch of the Super Heavy booster."

The launch tower successfully caught the Super Heavy booster during the first flight test of the year in January, but the spacecraft was destroyed.

The launch attempt comes after recent wins for the company.

Earlier in February, the group Save RGV sued SpaceX and said the company illegally polluted the waters around its launch site near Brownsville.

Hundreds of thousands of gallons are used as part of SpaceX's deluge system each time a launch takes place to help suppress fire, dust, and debris.

The group wanted a federal judge to impose fines and halt launches.

But the group later dropped its case because, it said, the state’s environmental agency granted SpaceX a permit that made it very difficult for them to win.

Other lawsuits against SpaceX for alleged environmental issues are still active.

The Texas Newsroom's Lauren McGaughy contributed to this report.

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