SpaceX is all set to launch the world's most powerful rocket ever built, the fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy Rocket, for its flight test from Starbase in Texas, on Thursday, April 20, 2023.
SpaceX Starship Launch Updates
Musk took to Twitter to start the countdown - '10 minutes to launch', he said at 6:47 PM
Musk took to Twitter and confirmed about the launch time of the starship. He said 'Starship on track to launch in ~37 mins' at 6:20 PM
Earlier in the morning, Elon Musk provided an update on the launch by tweeting 'All systems currently green for launch'
As mentioned on the SpaceX website, a live webcast of the flight test will begin approximately 45 minutes before the launch. The SpaceX website as well as its social media channels will provide live coverage of the event. It is important to note that as with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and may change. Stay tuned to SpaceX's social media channels for updates.
SpaceX Starship Launch Time
As per the official SpaceX website, the 62-minute launch window opens at 6:58 pm IST and closes at 8:00 pm IST on Thursday. The Live stream will begin at 6:15 pm IST.
How To Watch SpaceX Starship Launch?
You can watch the live telecast on the official Space.com website or on on their official YouTube channel.
Why Was Original Launch SpaceX Starship Postponed?
Earlier, SpaceX had planned to launch the Starship rocket from a private facility in Texas along the Gulf Coast on Monday, April 17. Just 15 minutes before the scheduled launch, SpaceX announced a postponement of at least 48 hours, referring to it as a "scrub".
Elon Musk took to Twitter and gave an update as to why the lift off was cancelled. He said "A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today. Learned a lot today, now offloading propellant, retrying in a few days …"
As per the company, the orbital launch of the Starship is the result of years of regulatory and technological work by the company and SpaceX's leadership has emphasised on the experimental nature of this launch.
What Is SpaceX Starship?
The official SpaceX website states, “Starship is a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond. With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances the development of Starship.”
The Starship is designed to carry cargo and people beyond Earth and is critical to NASA’s plan to return astronauts to the moon. In 2019, SpaceX was awarded a contract worth nearly $3 billion by NASA to use the Starship as a lander for astronauts on the Moon. This is part of NASA's Artemis program, where the Starship will transport astronauts from NASA's SLS rocket and Orion capsule to the Moon. Although SpaceX had planned to conduct the first orbital launch of the Starship in the summer of 2021, delays in development and FAA approval have postponed this launch.