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SpaceX postpones Starship test flight

SpaceX postponed a test flight Monday in Texas for Starship moon and Mars rocket prototype, another one of which is  shown March 3 after a previous test. Photo courtesy of SpaceX
SpaceX postponed a test flight Monday in Texas for Starship moon and Mars rocket prototype, another one of which is  shown March 3 after a previous test. Photo courtesy of SpaceX | License Photo

March 29 (UPI) -- SpaceX postponed a test flight Monday for the company's Starship moon and Mars rocket in Boca Chica, Texas.

Company CEO Elon Musk posted on Twitter that the flight was called off because a federal inspector couldn't reach the remote site in time. Musk calls it Starbase, and it is about 23 miles east of Brownsville.

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"Postponed to no earlier than tomorrow [Tuesday]" Musk wrote.

The rocket company has filed for "no-fly" notices during daylight hours from Monday through Wednesday around the SpaceX launch facility.

SpaceX also postponed an attempt Friday, with Musk tweeting that SpaceX needed to check out additional issues. "Doing our best to land & fully recover," he wrote.

As with previous test flights, SpaceX plans to send Starship more than 6 miles high before its three Raptor engines cut off and it glides downward.

Previous test flights of the giant, stainless steel rocket ended in fireballs in December, February and March. On the last attempt, the rocket landed safely and stood upright for a few minutes, but a fire caused the engines to explode.

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The tests are part of SpaceX's rapid prototype development methods, which the company used to develop its highly successful Falcon rockets.

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