SpaceX is just hours away from attempting to launch the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. The next-generation Starship rocket stands at 124.4 metres tall – more than a metre taller than its predecessor – and has upgraded engines that make it capable of delivering 100 tons to orbit.
The first flight of Starship Version 3 (V3) is also the first Starship flight test in more than six months, and comes at a critical time for SpaceX. Elon Musk’s company is expected to have Starship ready for Nasa’s Artemis IV mission, which aims to send astronauts to the Moon in just two years time.
The success of today’s test could determine whether Nasa is able to stick to this timeline. SpaceX has already suffered several setbacks in Starship’s development, which have caused Nasa to push back deadlines for its Artemis program.
Failure today could see the US fall behind China in the race to the lunar surface. Any big upsets could also derail SpaceX’s recently unveiled plans for an initial public offering (IPO), which is to be the biggest in history. It is why today’s Starship flight test is being billed as a make-or-break mission for Musk and SpaceX.
What has changed for Starship V3?
Musk has described Starship as “alien-level technology” due to the sheer scale and complexity of the rocket system. SpaceX lengthened both the upper stage and the Super Heavy booster of Starship Version 3 in order to expand fuel capacity, improve payload space, and upgrade its propulsion system with Raptor 3 engines.
The 33 Raptor 3 engines on the Super Heavy booster will be capable of generating roughly 18 million pounds of thrust at lift-off, which is more than double the power of Nasa’s Saturn V rocket used during the Apollo program.
The latest Starship will also launch from a newly designed pad at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas, designed to improve rapid reusability. Among the upgrades to the launchpad are shorter “chopsticks”, which are used to catch the booster rocket once it has separated from the upper stage and returned to Earth.
“The flight test’s primary goal will be to demonstrate each of these new pieces in the flight environment for the first time,” a post to SpaceX’s website explained. “As this is the first flight test of a significantly redesigned vehicle, the booster will not attempt a return to the launch site for catch.”
How to watch the Starship launch
A live stream of the launch will be available on SpaceX’s website, as well as the company’s official X page and YouTube channel. The webcast will begin about 45 minutes before liftoff, which is currently scheduled for 5:30pm local time (11:30pm BST) on Thursday, 21 May.
The nature of the flight test means these times are subject to change, depending on whether any issues are discovered in the build up to the launch, or if weather conditions become unfavourable. SpaceX has also launched a new ‘Test like you fly’ series that shows viewers behind-the-scenes footage of the launch team as they prepare for liftoff.
As with all previous Starship launches, SpaceX’s official launch notes for the mission warn that it may not go to plan. In place of ‘lift off’, the notes simply state: “excitement guaranteed”.
