The historic 3rd SpaceX ‘Starship’ rocket launch: Where to watch and what to know

SpaceX owns and operates the massive rocket ship known as Starship, which will launch its third test mission today from Boca Chica, Texas. The event is set to occur eight minutes prior to 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET).

SpaceX has decided to change the course of the third Starship test. There will be another attempt by the “Super Heavy” rocket booster to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico. Rather than landing in the Pacific, the first-stage starship will ascend before reaching the Indian Ocean. A flight lasts one hour and forty-four minutes. None of the stages will be recovered during testing, even though they are intended to be reused.

The flight path, according to SpaceX, “enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety” by moving the splashdown area. Six Raptor engines that run on a combination of methane and liquid oxygen propel the starship’s upper stage. The first-ever controlled fall and the relighting of a Raptor engine in orbit were two of the experiments.

SpaceX plans to go after more firsts in the coast phase. In order to test future refueling capabilities, it will open and close the ship’s cargo bay door and move propellant between tanks.

Starship tested its first launch on April 20, 2023. The rocket fired successfully, but the ship could not disengage from the Super Heavy booster, ending the mission. To start the boostback burn, the Super Heavy booster swiveled with the first stage attached, landing in the Gulf of Mexico. To guarantee a safe fall, SpaceX destroyed the rocket.

The first flight’s stage separation went off without a hitch, and the second launch took place in November. Not a single stage descended correctly. The spaceship caught fire due to a planned propellant dump, and it is likely that a fuel line obstruction during the boostback burn destroyed numerous Super Heavy rocket Raptor engines.

Because Starship is the biggest and most potent rocket ever constructed and will reduce infrastructure launch costs, it has garnered media attention. The launch of Starship will transform commercial space.

The Artemis crew will travel from lunar orbit to Earth and back using NASA’s HLS. NASA has to launch Artemis III, which will land people on the moon in September 2026, for Starship to succeed.