SpaceX’s “Starship” is scheduled to take off on its first test flight into space on Thursday. How you can witness the launch of the largest rocket ever built.
Boca Chica – After a failed launch attempt by “Starship”, SpaceX’s giant rocket is scheduled to launch into space on Thursday (April 20) from the spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas (USA). Like tech pioneer Elon Musk’s company announced on their website, the launch of the “fully integrated spacecraft and a super-heavy rocket from the starbase in Texas” should take place. There is a one-hour window between 8:28 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. (local time). That means in Germany it will be between 3:28 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. when the “Starship” could take off.
“Starship” launch: SpaceX plans live stream – this is how you see the test flight
SpaceX is planning a live stream on YouTube so anyone interested can follow the event in real time. The live stream is scheduled to start about 45 minutes before the scheduled departure. With a scheduled start time of 3:28 p.m. Central European Time, the test flight of the mighty rocket can be observed in the stream from around 2:45 p.m. Of course, only if everything goes as planned.
At almost 120 meters high, “Starship” is the largest rocket in the world to date – and also the most powerful. Because “Starship” consists of two parts: Below is the rocket stage called “Super Heavy”, which is powered by 33 “Raptor” engines. A spaceship sits on it, the actual “Starship”, which is supposed to fly into space after the rocket launch.
First test flight of SpaceX’s “Starship” into space – be there in the live stream 45 minutes before the start
According to current planning, the spacecraft and rocket stage will separate after about three minutes. The “Starship” should then be in the air for around 90 minutes and make an almost complete orbit around the world. After a flight from the test site in Texas to Hawaii, the spacecraft is to descend in the Pacific in a controlled manner. The first stage of the rocket, the “booster” with the engines, is supposed to come down over the Gulf of Mexico and gently water down.
SpaceX Founder Elon Musk ‘Guaranteed Excitement’ Ahead of ‘Starship’ Launch
SpaceX founder Elon Musk described his feelings before the first attempt at launch on Twitter: “Success maybe, excitement guaranteed”. The planned test flight is the first full test of the “Starship” system. It is possible to be present at the “Lift off” via the live stream and follow live how the 33 engines catapult the giant rocket into the air.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars with “Starship” in the long term
With this mission, Musk is pursuing the long-term goal of being able to take people and material to the moon and even to Mars with the “Starship”. Since founding SpaceX in 2002, he has taken numerous steps to fulfill his dream of colonizing Mars. The “Starship” system is designed in such a way that the spaceship and rocket can be reused after returning to earth.