SpaceX Starship reaches space but does not survive reentry in successful test flight

BOCA CHICA, Texas - SpaceX will try once again to launch the most powerful rocket ever flown. The third uncrewed flight of the Starship and its Super Heavy booster rocket is scheduled for this morning from south Texas.

The rocket’s previous two flights ended with in-flight explosions, and the company hopes this third time will be a charm.

What time is the Starship launch?

The Starbase facility is seen a day before Starship Flight 3's scheduled launch near Boca Chica beach on March 13, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The flight is now scheduled to lift off as early as 8:25 a.m. CDT from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near South Padre Island, Texas. A 110-minute-long launch window opened at 7 a.m., and already the launch has been delayed a few minutes, in part, "to give boats time to clear the keep-out area."

"Those in the nearby area may hear a loud noise resulting from the rocket’s 33 Raptor engines firing upon ignition and as the vehicle launches toward space, but what people experience will depend on weather and other conditions," the company warned in press release announcing the launch time.

There's a 70% chance of acceptable weather, but teams are concerned about winds.

LINK: Watch SpaceX's live coverage on their website

What is Starship?

Starship stacked for flight (SpaceX photo)

Starship is SpaceX’s reusable spacecraft, designed to carry over 100 tons of cargo – and, eventually, people – to space and then fly back to Earth to be launched again.

The Starship spacecraft is launched atop SpaceX’s new Super Heavy booster, a 33-engine monstrosity – also reusable – that is more powerful than even NASA’s Saturn moon rockets of the 1960s. Fully stacked, the Starship combination reaches 397 feet high.

The rocket is being developed to reduce the cost of launches and possibly take humans to the moon and Mars. NASA plans to use Starship as its lunar lander during the upcoming Artemis missions later this decade, landing astronauts on the moon and then carrying them back up to the Orion capsule.

What happened during the first two Starship launches?

The first Starship launch, back in April 2023, ended with an in-flight explosion just before stage separation. An investigation later determined that leaking fuel lines inside the booster had caught fire, which ultimately led to the loss of communication to the booster engines and control of the rocket.

First SpaceX Starship rocket launch attempt ends with explosion

Starship – SpaceX’s giant new rocket that aims to send people to the moon and, ultimately, to Mars – blasted off on its first test flight but exploded minutes after rising from the launch pad on April 20, 2023.

Meanwhile, the launch blasted sand and debris from the launch pad, creating a technical and an environmental hazard. The company installed a water-deluge system for the second flight to keep that from happening.

That second flight, though, also ended with an explosion, but later in the ascent. Unlike the first mission, all of the Raptor engines fire up and continued to burn through stage separation. Moments later, one engine "failed energetically" – likely due to a liquid oxygen filter blockage – leading to an explosion that destroyed the booster.

Second Starship launch gets closer to space

In November 2023, the booster sent the mega rocket toward space, but communication was lost eight minutes after liftoff and SpaceX declared that the vehicle had failed.

The Starship upper stage continued toward orbit until a leak during liquid oxygen venting led to a fire, cutting power to all six engines, which in turn activated the vehicle’s automatic self-destruct.

SpaceX says these failures were part of their learn-as-you-fly philosophy and they implemented a number of upgrades for the third flight.

No astronauts were aboard any of the flights.

What is the flight plan?

In this third mission, SpaceX hopes to not only get Starship to space and back – a successful ascent and then descent for both stages – but also accomplish multiple goals along the way.

Assuming Starship makes it to space, engineers hope to test its new payload door and also demonstrate propellant transfer while the upper stage is coasting.

Starship is also flying a different flight path. The previous two flights were scheduled to "land" in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii; this mission is targeting the Indian Ocean.

"This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety," SpaceX said.