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Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to launch its Starship mega-rocket on Tuesday, marking its sixth test since April 2023.
The launch comes slightly more than a month after SpaceX’s largely successful fifth test, which saw SpaceX “catch” Starship’s first-stage Super Heavy booster in a launch tower’s “chopstick.” It’s the fastest turnaround yet for SpaceX, which has previously been required to wait months between launches to satisfy regulators and make crucial adjustments.
SpaceX plans to launch Starship within a 30-minute window beginning at 4:00 p.m. CT/ 5:00 p.m. ET. The attempt will be broadcast both on SpaceX’s website and its account on X (META+1.47%), the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, before Musk purchased it in 2022. That live stream will open about 30 minutes before liftoff.
The launch was initially scheduled for Monday afternoon before being pushed back to Tuesday. Further delays could be possible due to weather or other factors.
With its latest test, SpaceX aims to get closer to making its entire system reusable, something that would dramatically cut down costs and make repeated missions more viable. The company wants its booster to again return to its Starbase launch site in southern Texas and be caught by the “Mechazilla” launch tower, reignite the Raptor engine while in space, and test SpaceX’s changes to the rocket’s heat shield.
Although SpaceX wants to again catch the Super Heavy booster, it said that it will default to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico if automated health checks show a capture isn’t viable. Its return to the launch pad is expected to result in audible sonic booms around the landing zone.
Starship’s upper stage will target to splash down in the Indian Ocean. Since the attempt will be taking place in the afternoon rather than the early hours of the morning like in previous tests, SpaceX expects it to be easier to observe its return.
“Learnings from this and subsequent flight tests will continue to make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability,” SpaceX said in a statement.
The end game for both Starship and SpaceX is reaching Mars, a key priority of Musk’s and one he’s repeatedly said is vital to the survival of human civilization. In September, he reiterated that he thinks “the first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.” That mission, he claims, will be uncrewed, while the first crewed flights will occur in four years, or 2028.