SpaceX hopes to launch its first Starship test of 2024 as early as Thursday (March 14) in what it hopes will be a historic orbital flight of the world’s largest rocket, and if you want to know when to watch it online, you’re in the right place.
SpaceX focuses March 14 for launch from the Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. The announced on X that Starship has a 110 minute window Thursday opening at 8am EDT (1200 GMT).
The company will broadcast the launch attempt via the Internet, starting at 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT). You can watch the livestream here on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX.
Related: See our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed overview
SpaceX’s Starship vehicle and its Super Heavy booster are the world’s tallest and most powerful rocket. When stacked on top of each other, they stand 400 feet (122 meters) high, with the first stage powered by 33 Raptor engines, while the Starship’s upper stage carries six Raptors.
SpaceX has designed the Starship launch system to be completely reusable and hopes to use it for space exploration, heavy payload launches and space tourism. The company has already sold two private trips around the moon with Starship, with NASA choosing Starship to land its Artemis 3 astronauts on the moon by 2026. But first SpaceX must prove its Starship can reach Earth orbit, let alone the moon. This was not successful in two previous attempts in April and November 2023. Here’s what we know about Flight 3, SpaceX’s third Starship test launch.
What time will SpaceX’s third spaceship launch?
Die-cast rocket model of a spaceship Now $69.99 on Amazon.
If you can’t see SpaceX’s starship in person, you can score a model of your own. At 35 cm (13.77 in), this is a 1:375 ratio of SpaceX’s Starship as a desktop model. The materials here are alloy steel and it weighs only 225 grams.
Note: Stock is low so you’ll need to act quickly to get your hands on this. View offer
Currently, SpaceX is focusing March 14 at 8am EDT (7am CDT/1200 GMT) for its third Starship test flight. That’s when the 110 minute start window opens. The company will broadcast a livestream of the launch starting at 1 p.m 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT) on March 14.
SpaceX’s first Starship test flight launched on April 20, 2023, but never reached space. It was deliberately destroyed after the two phases could not be separated. A second test flight on November 18 succeeded in reaching space, but not the target altitude. The Super Heavy booster successfully separated from the Starship’s upper stage, but both vehicles were ultimately destroyed shortly after the stages separated.
“Each of these flight tests remains just that: a test,” SpaceX wrote in a Flight 3 mission description. “They do not take place in a laboratory or on a test stand, but place flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.”
Related: How to watch SpaceX’s third Starship launch test online
Can I watch the launch of the third SpaceX spaceship?
Yes, you can watch SpaceX’s third Starship launch online, and you probably have a few options for doing so.
SpaceX will now provide a livestream of the Starship launch on its @SpaceX account on X (formerly Twitter). 30 minutes before takeoff – i.e. at 7:30 AM EDT (1130 GMT).
But, and this is very important, SpaceX’s plans could change.
“As is the case with all development testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so keep an eye on our X account for updates,” the company wrote in a mission statement.
SpaceX’s livestream of the Starship Flight 3 launch will also be broadcast by Space.com on YouTube and embedded at the top of this page.
You can also find several independent livestreams of the launch of SpaceX’s Starship, which should include live commentary and views.
One site we like to follow is NASASpaceflight.com, which offers regular daily livestreams of Starship test activities at the Starbase facility. The site will have extensive livestream coverage on YouTube, likely starting in the hours before SpaceX’s own webcast. Another option is Everyday Astronaut, which also offers live coverage and commentary of Starship’s launch.
If you happen to be in the Boca Chica, Texas area and would like to attend the launch in person, you have several options.
There is no official SpaceX viewing site, but you can choose from several public beach areas where you can watch the launch. Nearby South Padre Island offers an unobstructed view of the rocket from the coastline around the Cameron County Amphitheater and Isla Blanca Park. Similar viewing areas can be found around the nearby shore of Port Isabel and surrounding areas.
I watched the launch of Starship Flight 1 in April 2023 from the shore of South Padre Island, near the Cameron County Amphitheater, and it offers unobstructed views, with crowds of people lining the beach and on boats in the harbor. However, you will want to bring a folding beach chair, water, and sunscreen. (There are bathrooms on site.)
Wherever you choose to view the launch, be sure to arrive very early as traffic can cause long delays in reaching observation locations.
How long will SpaceX’s third spaceship flight take?
The first two Starship test flights were designed to last 90 minutes, with the Starship vehicle reaching orbital speeds (if not actually entering orbit) and then returning to Earth with an offshore reentry and landing of Hawaii.
Things might happen more quickly on Flight 3. According to SpaceX’s mission description, Starship’s upper stage will crash about 65 minutes after launch, if all goes according to plan.
There will be other differences too.
“The third flight test is intended to build on what we’ve learned from previous flights while pursuing a number of ambitious objectives, including successfully taking off both stages, opening and closing Starship’s cargo door, a demonstration of propellant transfer during upper stage coast. phase, the first-ever re-ignition of a Raptor engine in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship,” SpaceX wrote in its mission description. “It will also fly a new trajectory, with the Starship aiming to splash down in the Indian Ocean. This new flight path will allow us to try out new techniques, such as burning engines in space, while ensuring public safety is maximized.”
Related: SpaceX will push the boundaries with the launch of its third spaceship
SpaceX’s first Starship flight aimed to reach an altitude of 140 miles (234 kilometers) while traversing a flight path intended to crash into the Pacific Ocean, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The second flight path was largely the same.
While Starship targets another splashdown zone on Flight 3, the Super Heavy booster is still expected to make a soft landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, miles offshore from Boca Chica Beach.
What if Starship can’t launch?
RELATED STORIES:
— SpaceX stacks Starship for third test flight (photos)
– How to watch SpaceX’s third Starship launch test live online
– Starship and Super Heavy: SpaceX’s Mars transportation system
If SpaceX can’t launch on March 14, the company will likely make sure it has at least one or two backup days in hand.
Officials from Cameron County, the Texas county where SpaceX’s Starbase facility is located, issued a beach closure advisory suggesting road closures around Starbase through March 16, hinting at possible backup dates. However, SpaceX has not set a specific range for launch dates.
Any second launch attempt would likely depend on how far along SpaceX’s fueling process is for the first attempt of Flight 3. SpaceX has said it could take several days to restock its propellant depot for a Starship launch, as the massive rocket and booster require more than consume 10 million pounds of super-cooled liquid methane and liquid oxygen fuel.
If Space Flight 3 delays due to a technical glitch or glitch, the timing of a retry will likely depend on how long it takes to address the problem.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on March 13 at 4:40 PM ET with new information about the timing of Flight 3.