SpaceX prepares to launch Starship on first planned flight into Earth orbit

SpaceX is conducting the first planned orbital flight of its next-generation Starship rocket. The mission is scheduled to launch Monday morning, with a 75-minute window opening at 8:15 a.m. EST.

The Starship vehicle is a fully-reusable megarocket essential to the company's long-term commercial spaceflight goals. The mission also holds significance for NASA, which intends to utilize a modified version of the spacecraft as a lunar lander for the Artemis program.