Overview

• Liftoff is targeted for 6:30 p.m. CDT (7:30 p.m. EDT/2330 UTC) from Starbase, Texas, following stand-downs on Sunday and Monday.
• The first attempt was halted by a pad fuel-leak issue linked to liquid-oxygen ground systems for the upper stage, and the second was scrubbed due to thick clouds.
• Super Heavy will aim for a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, with a landing burn profile designed to demonstrate engine-out tolerance rather than attempt a tower catch.
• The ship, designated 37, is slated to deploy dummy Starlink payloads, test prototype heat-shield materials, stress its rear flaps, relight a Raptor engine, and splash down in the Indian Ocean near northwestern Australia.
• Recent flights ended with upper-stage losses and a June ground-test explosion traced at Massey’s to a damaged nitrogen COPV, as Elon Musk highlights rapid-reuse heat shields and in-orbit refueling as key hurdles ahead of NASA’s 2027 lunar lander timeline.