SpaceX Starship launches: Live updates
by Tariq Malik · Space.comRefresh
2024-10-12T19:54:57.599Z
Starship Flight 5 ready to launch, Elon Musk says
SpaceX's Flight 5 Starship and Super Heavy rocket are fully stacked and one day away from launch, and CEO Elon Musk says the company is excited to attempt is first-ever booster catch.
"Looks like Starship might fly on Sunday! This the largest & most powerful flying object ever made at more than double the thrust of the Saturn V Moon rocket," Musk wrote on X late Friday. "We will try to catch it upon return to launch site using the Mechazilla arms like giant chopsticks (like Karate Kid)!
While SpaceX hopes to try and catch the Super Heavy booster, the company may opt to "soft-land" it in the Gulf of Mexico if anything looks off for the flight.
"SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only be attempted if conditions are right," SpaceX wrote in a mission overview.
"Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch attempt of the Super Heavy booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a manual command from the mission’s Flight Director," SpaceX added. "If this command is not sent prior to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with Super Heavy or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico."
SpaceX and Cameron County officials have issued a sonic boom warning to the residents living in the general area around the company's Starbase facility so they can expect the loud booms of the Super Heavy's return.
2024-10-12T17:54:00.970Z
FAA clears SpaceX for Starship launch on Oct. 13
SpaceX is officially "GO" to launch the Starship Flight 5 test flight for its new megarocket after receiving a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration. The launch is set for Sunday, Oct. 13, at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT).
"The FAA has issued a license modification authorizing SpaceX to launch multiple missions of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle on the Flight 5 mission profile," FAA officials wrote in a statement today (Oct. 12). "The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight."
For this test flight, SpaceX will launch the Starship and Super Heavy booster, which together are the world's largest and most powerful rocket, and attempt to return the booster to its launch pad at the company's Starbase facility and capture it with a the giant arms of its "Mechazilla" pad structure. The Starship rocket, meanwhile, will fly on a path that will take it over the Indian Ocean, where SpaceX hopes to perform a smooth reentry and "soft landing" in the ocean.
2024-10-11T23:05:00.079Z
SpaceX aims for Starship Flight 5 launch on Oct. 13
SpaceX on Friday, Oct. 11, said its next Starship rocket could launch as early as Sunday, Oct. 13, pending final FAA regulatory approvals. Liftoff is targeted for no earlier than 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) on Oct. 13, if the approvals come through in time. A livestream of the launch will be available on this page at launch time.
The upcoming test flight, called Starship Flight 5, will liftoff off from SpaceX's Starbase testing site near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas - the same site for four previous Starship launch tests. This flight aims to build on SpaceX's Starship Flight 4 success on June 6, which marked the first Starship to reach space and a smooth "soft" splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico for the rocket's massive Super Heavy booster.
For Flight 5, SpaceX hopes to recreate the success of the Starship vehicle's trajectory to target splashdown site in the Indian Ocean. But in a first, SpaceX will also attempt to return the rocket's massive Super Heavy booster, which is powered by 33 Raptor engines, back to its launch pad. There, SpaceX will attempt to catch the booster in the "chopsticks" of its massive Mechazilla launch pad structure. The system is designed to eventually allow quick turnarounds for Starship Super Heavy boosters for flights.
"Starship stacked ahead of its fifth flight test," SpaceX wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday afternoon (Oct. 11). "We expect regulatory approval in time to fly on October 13."
SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk have said repeatedly that they have been ready to launch Starship Flight 5 since August, but have been held up by FAA reviews and proposed fines related to environmental concerns over the rocket's water deluge system.
Last month, the FAA said it would likely take until November to issue a license for the Starship Flight 5 launch due to additional reviews related to the water deluge system, which FAA officials have required consultation with other regulatory agencies. Meanwhile, SpaceX is also facing potential fines from the FAA amounting to $633,000 related to Falcon 9 rocket launches. SpaceX has bristled at both the Flight 5 Starship delays and the potential fines, threatening to sue the FAA on the latter issue.
Starship Die Cast Rocket Model Now $47.99 on Amazon.
If you can't see SpaceX's Starship in person, you can score a model of your own. Standing at 13.77 inches (35 cm), this is a 1:375 ratio of SpaceX's Starship as a desktop model. The materials here are alloy steel and it weighs just 225g.
"We find ourselves delayed for unreasonable and exasperating reasons," SpaceX wrote in a blog post on Sept. 10. "Unfortunately, we continue to be stuck in a reality where it takes longer to do the government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and build the actual hardware. This should never happen and directly threatens America's position as the leader in space."
When fully assembled, SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy booster stand about 400 feet (122 m) tall, making it the world's tallest and most powerful rocket. Both the Starship and its Super Heavy booster are designed to be reusable, though the Flight 5 mission does not plan to recover the Starship vehicle.
NASA has picked SpaceX's Starship as the lunar lander for its Artemis 3 mission, which aims to send up to four astronauts to the moon for a crewed landing sometime in 2026. SpaceX has also sold at least one flight Starship to American billionaire Jared Isaacman, with reservations for another Starship trip around the moon. One Starship circumlunar flight reserved by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa was canceled earlier this year.
We will post updates on Starship Flight 5 and subsequent test flights and missions here as events warrant.
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What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 5 launch test on Oct. 13 (and how to watch online)?
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8 Comments Comment from the forums
- Jamoccasin
Catch attempt will be wild to say the least. I really hope it will be a success!!
Reply - Homer10
This catch mechanism while complex and impressive, I think is too complex. They should redesign the Starship to be salt water proof. Then land these things in the water. Should something catastrophic happen, the explosion will be way out at sea. No one hurt. Safer, and less complex. You can't miss, ocean is everywhere. Then fish the booster and starchip out of the water, carefully clean and wash, and prep for the next flight. Far lower cost. No need for a landing tower. Also try to launch the rocket from the ocean too. No stage 0 needed either.
Reply - whitedoggie
I really wish Elon Musk would quit the entitled whining about the FAA and regulations. His enterprise is no more privileged than any other aeronautic company. He seems to forget he has contracts with the federal government and he needs a bit more humility.
Reply - DBE
Homer, great idea. But, isn’t the point to land on Moon and Mars? Got to have an efficient and repeatable landing system that meets the requirement.
Easy solution only returns to Earth.
“We choose to go to the moon… and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are haaard.”
Reply Philly
Homer10 said:
This catch mechanism while complex and impressive, I think is too complex. They should redesign the Starship to be salt water proof. Then land these things in the water. Should something catastrophic happen, the explosion will be way out at sea. No one hurt. Safer, and less complex. You can't miss, ocean is everywhere. Then fish the booster and starchip out of the water, carefully clean and wash, and prep for the next flight. Far lower cost. No need for a landing tower. Also try to launch the rocket from the ocean too. No stage 0 needed either.Dust off your resume, and send it to Elon right away. I am sure he will want to talk to you right away about your great ideaers. I would hold out for at least a salary of $300,000+.
ReplyPhilly
whitedoggie said:
I really wish Elon Musk would quit the entitled whining about the FAA and regulations. His enterprise is no more privileged than any other aeronautic company. He seems to forget he has contracts with the federal government and he needs a bit more humility.There are more and more things I am disliking Elon for recently. If I was a Tesla shareholder I would be really upset at him. He has gone out of his way to PO a majority of his potential marketable Tesla buyers, not very smart. His complaints with the FAA are actually one of the things he has a valid complaint about.
Water? Really they are complaining and delaying the launches over water? Have they ever heard of rain? Also the staging ring dropping into the ocean? It is a SS ring. We have had rockets fall into the ocean for decades. I mean, this is beyond silly.
I mean, wait until the Super Heavy crashes when they try to catch it. Then, hold up the licensing for a launch, they will have a valid reason then. Yes, it is most likely to crash on it's 1st few landing attempts. It will be epic and it part of learning how to catch it.
ReplydanR
Homer10 said:
... I think is too complex. They should redesign the Starship to be salt water proof.Making everything saltwater-proof would be a complex 5-year project right there.
ReplydanR
Philly said:
Dust off your resume, and send it to Elon right away. I am sure he will want to talk to you right away about your great ideaers. I would hold out for at least a salary of $300,000+.I like this part:
"...carefully clean and wash.."
And stick it in the dryer at "Delicates" setting. Or just hang it out on the line to dry.
Reply
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