Watch a live stream of SpaceX’s latest attempt to launch a Starship rocket for the second time.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is gearing up for its largest launch to date, the maiden flight of a Starship rocket. You can watch the launch live-streamed above.
What time is the launch?
SpaceX is scheduled to launch a Starship rocket into near-orbit for the first time today at 13:20 GMT. This corresponds to 14:20 BST in the UK and 08:20 CDT in Boca Chica, Texas, where it will launch.
What is Starship?
The largest and most powerful rocket system ever built. SpaceX says it will eventually transport astronauts to the Moon and Mars if all goes according to plan. It is 120 meters high, fully reusable once operational and can carry up to 100 passengers.
Have starships been launched before?
The rocket had a long and difficult history of development, including failed launches and landings. In 2020, a small prototype starship was seen engulfed in flames. This is the first time we’ve tested both rocket stages together.
What would happen if a starship exploded?
The rocket consists of two stages. The first stage, which contains 33 Raptor engines, will detach after about three minutes of flight and will be parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico. The second stage, which will eventually contain the spacecraft that will house the astronauts, will continue to accelerate to near-orbital speed until reaching its own landing site in the Hawaiian waters about 90 minutes later.
Why land in the ocean?
A splashdown is planned for this launch only. Upon commissioning, Starship’s first stage will have a controlled descent and will be captured by a large robotic arm mounted on the launch tower. Its second stage “flaps” to slow down using the Earth’s atmosphere, then turns vertically and uses thrusters to land.
What could go wrong?
As with all rocket launches, success is not guaranteed, especially for a powerful rocket like Starship. In its first stage, he will use 3,400 tons of rocket fuel to power the Raptor engines and should be able to lift over 100 tons of payload into orbit. This far surpasses the previous most powerful rocket, the Saturn V, used for the Apollo lunar missions of the 1960s and 1970s.
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