Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for the next test of its Starship megarocket on Sunday, after a string of recent failures that has prompted some observers to question its viability.

The world's most powerful launch vehicle is set to lift off from the company's Starbase in southern Texas at 6:30 pm local time (2330 GMT) for its tenth flight.

The mission aims to put the upper stage through a series of trials as it flies halfway around the world before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

Unlike in recent attempts, SpaceX will not try to catch the booster stage with the launch tower's giant "chopstick" arms.

Starship is central to Musk's ambition of colonizing Mars, while NASA is counting on a modified version to serve as the Artemis lunar lander for returning Americans to the Moon.

But

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