Update: SpaceX's third Starship test mission has successfully launched.
Watching a rocket launch is a thrilling experience. Watching SpaceX's Starship, the world's largest rocket ever, is even more exciting.
Surely, watching it finally reach space without exploding for the first time would be a new type of thrill.
You may have the opportunity to see either an explosion or a successful spaceflight live on Thursday morning, when SpaceX is set to try shooting Starship to great heights above Earth.
SpaceX's livestream of the launch attempt has begun. Watch below.
Watch Starship’s third flight test → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK https://t.co/1u46r769Vp
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 14, 2024
This would be Starship's third attempt at spaceflight, launching atop its Super Heavy booster.
The 400-foot-tall launch system exploded mid-flight on its two previous tries, in April and November of 2023, but maybe the third time's a charm.
Don't worry — there are no people on board for these test flights.
If all goes according to plan, Starship will separate from its Super Heavy booster high above Earth and fire its own Raptor engines to climb into space.
The giant spaceship should fly roughly halfway around the planet and then enter a freefall to splash down into the Indian Ocean near Australia.
If that works, it'll be a major event in spaceflight history. Starship's heft could revolutionize spaceflight. SpaceX says Starship will be able to carry up to 250 metric tons (275 tons) of stuff to space.
For comparison, the most powerful rocket in operation right now is SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, which carries up to 70 tons.
SpaceX aims to use Starship to fill Earth's orbit with Starlink internet satellites, carry cargo and people to Mars, and run point-to-point rapid travel on Earth.
SpaceX just wants you to remember one thing when you watch.
"Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test," the launch announcement on the company's website says. "They aren't occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning."
This is the company's "rapid iterative development" philosophy: launch it, see what happens, fix any issues that arise, and try again. If the rocket explodes, they still learn something from the flight.
It also makes for more suspenseful launch viewing compared with NASA and its more conservative, old-school contractors.
March 19, 2024: This story was updated to clarify the nature of Starship's third spaceflight attempt, which sought to cruise through space before falling back to Earth.
