On Monday, SpaceX set out to make history and launch its two-stage rocketship, Starship, touted by the company as “the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed.”
However, things didn’t go as planned.
With just 10 minutes left on the countdown to takeoff, the Starship launch was called off due to a frozen valve in the lower-stage rocket booster, Reuters reported. The company announced on a live webcast that it would not make a second attempt for at least 48 hours.
SpaceX then took to Twitter to say it was aiming for Thursday, April 20 for the second launch attempt, which sparked myriad jokes from users referring to both the first unsuccessful attempt and the 4/20 association with cannabis.
Teams are working towards Thursday, April 20 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket → https://t.co/bG5tsCUanp pic.twitter.com/umcqhJCGai
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 17, 2023
This bad boy is launching at 4:20am, on 4/20 pic.twitter.com/T0UaEam6Ob
— Imaginary Ones (@Imaginary_Ones) April 18, 2023
Updates to the 4/20 launch ? pic.twitter.com/TPNEr05TUk
— Shark Ape (@BabyApeShark) April 17, 2023
Still, if Starship’s launch is successful, it will mark a milestone for space travel and “potentially enable new businesses and even new markets,” BryceTech CEO Carissa Christensen told Axios.
Aside from being the biggest rocket ever built at nearly 400 feet, Starship could be the first step in transforming space travel by being cheaper — well, relatively cheaper ($10 million or less) — and would have the potential to fly back and forth from space to Earth carrying both crew and cargo.
Although $10 million isn’t exactly in the budget for most people, Christensen pointed out to Axios that it could present a viable business opportunity for companies looking to manufacture materials in orbit, such as pharmaceuticals.
Assuming all goes as planned, the next Starship launch is scheduled for Thursday, April 20 at 9:28 a.m. EST. The company will live stream the launch on its website.
Related: SpaceX Just Launched Four Astronauts Into Space. ‘Don’t Forget to Give Us Five Stars.’