A new photo from the SpaceX spaceport shows the world's largest rocket, Starship Flight 12, after its aborted launch from the second pad. The image was captured during the 'blue hour'—the twilight before sunrise—casting the sky and surroundings in deep blue tones and soft light. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .
Traces from the fueling process are visible on the rocket's hull. When Starship is filled with cryogenic fuel, the stainless steel exterior cools down significantly. As a result, atmospheric moisture instantly condenses on the cold metal surface, forming a layer of white frost. The launch attempt was aborted 40 seconds before liftoff, though there were no issues with the rocket itself.
The fault was detected in the launch tower and is scheduled to be fixed during the day. A new launch attempt is expected tonight. According to the plan, the Starship upper stage will carry 20 Starlink V3 satellite simulators and two special test satellites designed to image the ship's heat shield into orbit.
SpaceX engineers painted some heat shield tiles white to study loads if the hull is damaged and even intentionally removed one tile. Additionally, plans include restarting the Raptor engine in space and performing extreme maneuvers to test the ship's structural limits.
Elon Musk noted that almost every detail of the Starship V3 version differs from the V2 model used in previous flights. This will be the first launch from the upgraded Starbase launch site. In total, the rocket is expected to carry 20 mock-ups and 2 modified satellites into orbit.
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