Elon Musk’s SpaceX is gearing up for its largest launch to date with the maiden flight of its Starship rocket. You can watch the launch via the live stream above.
What time is the launch?
SpaceX will launch its Starship rocket into near-orbit for the first time today at 1320 GMT. This is 1420 BST in the UK and 0820 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 carry astronauts to the Moon and Mars if all goes according to plan. It is 120 meters tall, fully reusable once operational and can carry up to 100 passengers.
Has Starship launched before?
Rockets have a long and difficult history of development, including failed launches and failed landings. In his one in 2020, a small prototype starship went up in flames. This is the first test of both rocket stages together.
What happens when a starship takes off?
The rocket consists of two stages. The first stage, which houses her 33 Raptor engines, detaches about three minutes into flight and parachutes into the Gulf of Mexico. The second stage, which includes the spacecraft that will eventually house the astronauts, will continue, accelerating to near-orbital speed until reaching its own landing point in the oceans near Hawaii after about 90 minutes.
Why land in the sea?
A splashdown is only planned for this particular launch. During operation, Starship’s first stage has a controlled descent by a large robotic arm mounted on a launch tower. The second stage uses the Earth’s atmosphere to “belly flop” to slow down, then turn vertically and use the thrusters to land.
What could go wrong?
As with all rocket launches, success is not guaranteed. This is especially true for powerful rockets like Starship. Its first stage should be able to use 3,400 tons of rocket fuel to power the Raptor engines and put over 100 tons of payload into orbit. This is much more powerful than the Saturn V rockets used in the Apollo program in the 1960s and his 70s.
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