After a seven-month hiatus, SpaceX is set to launch a new, more powerful version of its Starship megarocket — reigniting a make-or-break testing campaign aimed at hashing out unprecedented rocketry challenges and getting the vehicle ready to carry NASA astronauts to the moon.But experts question whether this vehicle — or a competing spacecraft under development by the Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin — will be ready in time to sway the outcome of what US lawmakers say is an ongoing space race with China.Version 3 of Starship was expected to launch Thursday evening, but a series of stop-and-start holds occurred late in the countdown. With teams unable to clear the red flags in time to recycle the countdown clock, SpaceX could make another launch attempt as soon as Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET, but the company said it will share updates on social media.AdvertisementAdvertisementLiftoff also comes during a period of mounting scrutiny around SpaceX. The company is headed for a record-shattering initial public offering, and explosive, attention-grabbing mishaps, such as the kind that have resulted from previous Starship test flights, tend to make investors squeamish.There “are likely more eyes on this test launch than ever before for this company,” noted Andrew Chanin, the CEO of the investment firm ProcureAM. It’s “a risky call to do this highly anticipated launch so close to the IPO.” But, he added, “Fortune favors the bold.”With SpaceX planning for Starship to play a central role in the future of its space-based internet business, Starlink, as well as offering services to NASA and the US military, there’s a lot riding on the megarocket’s eventual success.And it’s not yet clear whether Starship w …
