--- title: "Elon Musk Preparing to Launch His Explodey Starship Rocket Once Again" description: "After blowing up during its first test, Starship's next launch could happen this summer, if SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is to believed." date: "2023-06-17" modified: "2023-06-17" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-preparing-starship-launch-again" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Preparing to Launch His Explodey Starship Rocket Once Again ![After unceremoniously blowing up during its first test, Starship's next launch could be this summer, if SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is to believed.]() *\Image: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Back For More Two months ago, SpaceX's Starship [exploded spectacularly]() during its first orbital test flight after uneasily heaving itself into the skies above South Texas. Not quite a resounding success, though [some experts might argue otherwise](). Now, if SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is to be believed — and as always, that's a big "if" — it could finally be getting its second chance later this summer. On Tuesday, Musk [tweeted]() that the next flight test for Starship will be in the next "six to eight weeks," which, in light of the [many]() [setbacks]() SpaceX has suffered, sounds pretty ambitious. Assuming SpaceX engineers deliver on their CEO's promise, that would put the follow-up flight sometime between late July and mid-August, though enthusiasts or critical onlookers have plenty of reasons to be skeptical. ## Blast Zone Ahead While Starship has comfortably earned plaudits for being the most powerful rocket ever built, that sheer power has proved difficult to tame. When it failed to separate during its inaugural orbital flight in April, Starship began to dangerously veer off-course, forcing its [worryingly delayed self-destruction](). The rocket itself wasn't the only victim. Seemingly due to poor planning on SpaceX's part, Starship's almighty boosters [obliterated the rocket's launchpad](), which will not only have to be meticulously rebuilt, but [equipped with additional systems]() to mitigate the insane amount of thrust being generated. Even if engineers get all those technical challenges in line in less than just eight weeks, SpaceX has another imposing hurdle: the Federal Aviation Administration, which has [grounded Starship pending a mishap investigation](). It's no small wonder why. The forces of the launch sent debris and particulate matter [flying for miles](), some of it even [igniting fires in a nearby state park](). To complicate things even further, [environmental groups have sued]() the FAA over the potential ecological impact of SpaceX's launches in the area**,** legal troubles that could drag on. Whatever the timeline, SpaceX will have to start getting results sooner rather than later. NASA has already expressed its worries that further hiccups with Starship could force the agency to [delay its moon landing mission]() dubbed Artemis 3, which is meant to make use of the rocket in late 2025. **More on SpaceX:** *[It Looks Like Starship Chunks Are Washing Up on Beaches]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()