Starship launch - as it happened: Lift off for world’s biggest rocket in huge test for Mars-bound craft
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox
Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter
SpaceX has successfully launched its Starship rocket in a huge test of Elon Musk’s ambitions to send humans to Mars.
The third test flight of the world’s biggest rocket saw it lift off from a launchpad at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday morning.
Two previous attempts to fly the uncrewed rocket from Texas to Hawaii both ended in high-altitude explosions. The third launch will see a different route attempted, with a splashdown site in the Indian Ocean.
“Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test,” SpaceX said ahead of the Starship launch attempt. “They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximise learning.”
You can follow all the latest news, analysis and updates - as well as watch a live stream of the Starship launch - in our live coverage below.
Starship launch live: Boca Chica evacuated
Launch preparations are going as expected, with residents of nearby Boca Chica village evacuated. This is standard procedure for any major test of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, due to the potential for property damage or injury for anything or anyone within the vicinity of the 33 Raptor engines of the Super Heavy booster as they fire up.
The first flight test of the fully-stacked Starship rocket saw debris from the destroyed launchpad rain down across a 5-mile (8-kilometre) radius.
Starship launch live: How SpaceX normalised rocket launches
We’re less than three hours away from a potential launch attempt, with the window set to open at 7am local time (12 pm GMT).
It’s the third launch attempt of a fully-stacked Starship rocket, with Elon Musk saying that there could be up to six more attempts this year. Eventually, SpaceX plans to build an entire fleet of these giant rockets, capable of launching within hours of each other.
It may seem like a far-off prospect, but the rate at which SpaceX has ramped up launches of its other reusable rockets is astonishing. Last year saw 96 launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy - up from just three launches a decade ago.
I watched one of those launches on a trip to Cape Canaveral last year, where I spoke to people from the company, industry experts and local residents to learn how SpaceX managed to normalise rocket launches. You can read it here if you’re interested:
‘It’s becoming like an airport’: How SpaceX normalised rocket launches
Even crewed missions to Mars may soon seem mundane, says one space industry veteran
Starship launch live: Watch the last launch
It’s been almost exactly four months since SpaceX last launched its Starship rocket. While it wasn’t a complete success - both parts of the rocket were eventually lost - it did still manage to make it off the launchpad in south Texas. This is a huge technical feat, given the fully-stacked Starship rocket system is the biggest rocket ever built.
SpaceX boss Elon Musk has given today’s uncrewed mission a 70-80 per cent chance of making it to orbit. This still leaves a lot of room for things to go wrong, though it’s better than the odds he gave for the last launch, which he put at <50 per cent.
You can watch a video of November’s launch here (Skip to 13 minutes for the 30 second countdown).
Starship launch live: How to watch today’s test flight
SpaceX will be sharing an official live stream of today’s Starship launch attempt, which should appear around 30 minutes before lift off - currently scheduled for 7am local time (12 pm GMT).
We’ll have the feed embedded here at the top of the blog as soon as it’s available. SpaceX used to post the live streams of its rocket launches on YouTube, however since Elon Musk took over Twitter, now X, they have been appearing exclusively there.
Starship launch live: Elon Musk confirms attempt will be today
Elon Musk is up very early (or very late) to confirm that SpaceX will be attempting to launch Starship later today. Lift off is scheduled for around 7 am local time, or midday if you’re reading this in the UK.
The SpaceX boss is most likely at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, as he has been for other major tests of the Mars-bound craft. A lot is riding on today’s test for Musk, including multi-billionaire contracts with Nasa that require a functional Starship for the US space agency’s Artemis mission.
Beyond that, the centibillionaire is hoping to travel to Mars in his lifetime aboard a Starship rocket, so any major failures in the tests could push back the date of any potential trip.
Upgrades made by SpaceX for current test launch
The US FAA required SpaceX to complete 17 corrective actions following the failure of the previous test launch.
These recommended changes included hardware redesigns, updates to engine-control algorithms as well as the installation of fire protection measures.
In the previous launch attempt, SpaceX made upgrades to the launchpad.
This included a water suppression system to help the rocket survive the violent takeoff, which proved effective and is scheduled in the upcoming test to engage about 10 seconds before liftoff.
“Each of these flight tests continues to be just that: a test. They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning,” SpaceX said in a statement.
SpaceX to attempt key Nasa-funded technique in Starship test launch
As part of its $53m contract with Nasa, SpaceX would attempt an inaugural attempt at in-flight propellant transfer in the test launch today that could find use in future deep space missions.
In the upcoming Starship launch test, SpaceX is set to transfer some 10 metric tons of liquid oxygen from one tank to another when the rocket’s upper stage is in its coasting phase.
The test would see SpaceX use Starship tankers for in-orbit propellant transfer – an approach similar to aerial refueling.
Such a feat has never before been accomplished on this scale.
This test would provide insights for a potential larger vehicle-to-vehicle fuel transfer, which is seen as a key capability needed to carry Nasa’s Artemis astronauts to the Moon.
“The third flight test aims to build on what we’ve learned from previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives, including the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing Starship’s payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage’s coast phase,” SpaceX noted in a blog post ahead of the launch.
What SpaceX aims to achieve in Starship launch test
The towering SpaceX Starship rocket will be flown further in today’s anticipated test than its first two trials.
SpaceX also plans to reignite the rocket’s upper stage engine and open its payload door in space.
Unlike the last two tests that failed and were planned for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, today’s test flight would launch on a trajectory bound for the Indian Ocean.
The SpaceX mission description says Starship’s upper stage is expected to splash down about 65 minutes after Thursday’s launch.
“The third flight test aims to build on what we’ve learned from previous flights while attempting a number of ambitious objectives, including the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing Starship’s payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage’s coast phase, the first ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship,” SpaceX noted in a blog post.
Why first two Starship launch attempts failed
The first two launch attempts of its pioneering Starship rocket by SpaceX in April and November 2023 failed.
In the April launch test, the rocket never reached space and was intentionally destroyed after its two stages failed to separate.
While in the November attempt, the rocket managed to reach space, it did not get to its target altitude.
In this test, the Super Heavy booster separated successfully from the Starship upper stage, but both were eventually destroyed shortly after stage separation.
SpaceX blamed filter blockage for the destruction of the Super Heavy booster, and leaking liquid oxygen was found to be the cause of the upper stage failure.
FAA investigation identified 17 corrective actions required by SpaceX ahead of its third test.
Launch schedule 'dynamic and likely to change,' SpaceX says
While SpaceX is targeting a 110 minute launch window opening at 7.00am CT for the third test launch of its Starship rocket, the company says this schedule is “dynamic and likely to change.”
“Starship flight 3 maybe tomorrow,” SpaceX boss Elon Musk posted on X.
The main aim of the test is to get Starship, the world’s tallest and most powerful rocket, into orbit for the first time.
“It will also fly a new trajectory, with Starship targeted to splashdown in the Indian Ocean,” SpaceX noted.
“This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety,” the company said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments