Safety Issues Have Pushed The Test Off For At Least A Week

Despite intense anticipation, there will be no SpaceX Starhopper flight test this weekend.

The news comes courtesy of SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, and his comments to his 27.8 million Twitter followers. Musk tweeted: “Good conversation with head of FAA Space. Need a bit more hazard analysis and should be clear to fly soon.”

Further; additional updates to the Starship’s design are set to be disclosed August 24 at the company’s facilities in Boca Chica, South Texas.

Known as "Starhopper', the vehicle is but a small part of what eventually be a major space transport system... with other versions already under construction in Texas and Florida. Elon Musk hopes to see the vehicle in service as early as 2021.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has mentioned that the test vehicle will attempt to reach an altitude of 650 feet and return under power, much like the capabilities already demonstrated by a large number of Falcon 9 first stages over the past few years.

Starhopper made at least one known test hop, July 25th, to a height of some 65 feet.

The Starhopper test vehicle, unlike the full-blown 'Starship' system, will only be powered by a single Raptor engine and will be flown from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, TX, test site.

FMI: www.spacex.com