Starship launch looms in crucial test for Elon Musk’s Mars hopes

SpaceX boss will be hoping it’s third time lucky following two explosive failures

SpaceX appears to be just days away from launching its Starship rocket, in what will be a crucial test for the company’s ambitions to send humans to Mars.

SpaceX boss Elon Musk shared a video of the fully stacked rocket system at the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, where development of Starship has been ongoing since 2019.

Two previous attempts to fly an uncrewed Starship rocket from Texas to Hawaii both ended in high-altitude explosions, with SpaceX planning a third attempt as early as 14 March.

When fully stacked, Starship is the biggest rocket system ever built. Captured here at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on 10 March, 2024 (Screenshot/ WAI/ X)

The latest launch attempt will follow a different route, with a new landing site in the Indian Ocean.

Measuring roughly 120 metres when the upper stage is placed on its Super Heavy booster, Starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built.

Its size presents numerous technical challenges, not just for the rocket but also the infrastructure needed to support its lift-off and landing.

The first launch of the fully stacked rocket in April 2023 destroyed the launchpad, raining down debris up to 8 kilometres (5 miles) away.

Scientists who analysed the destruction claimed the Raptor engines were so powerful that the force was comparable to a volcanic explosion.

The launchpad for the second test flight fared far better, however both stages of the rocket were ultimately lost a few minutes after lift off.

“Starship’s second flight test achieved a number of major milestones and provided invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship,” SpaceX wrote in an update posted to its website last week.

“Each of these flight tests continue 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 maximise learning.”

Beyond technical issues, previous launches have faced delays from poor weather forecasts and a lack of regulatory approval.

The next Starship launch will be broadcast on SpaceX’s account on X, formerly Twitter, with the live stream typically beginning around 30 minutes before lift off.