SpaceX is getting ready to launch its mighty Starship on its fifth test flight, scheduled for Sunday, October 13. With a mostly-successful fourth test flight behind it, the Starship has already been into orbit and returned to Earth mostly intact. This time, SpaceX will be hoping to catch its Super Heavy booster as well as taking the upper stage Starship into orbit.
The exact date of this fifth test flight has been delayed due to issues with licensing from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but SpaceX has now confirmed it is targeting 8 a.m. ET (5 a.m. PT) Sunday for its test.
To watch the test, you can tune into to SpaceX’s live stream, which will be shown on X (formerly Twitter):
Watch Starship's fifth flight test https://t.co/LVrCnTv797
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 12, 2024
You’ll also be able to watch the broadcast on SpaceX’s website.
The company has described its ambitions for catching the Super Heavy booster in a blog post, as it will use a pair of giant mechanical arms referred to as chopsticks to try to hold the booster as it comes in to land at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas. This would be the first time a Super Heavy booster has been caught, and a significant step forward in making the Starship reusable. SpaceX has already proven the efficacy of this concept with its Falcon 9 rocket, of which the boosters are frequently landed on the ocean or occasionally on land to be reused.
The Starship is a considerably larger and more powerful vehicle than the Falcon 9, however, and has different boosters — making catching the booster a difficult task.
“Extensive upgrades ahead of this flight test have been made to hardware and software across Super Heavy, Starship, and the launch and catch tower infrastructure at Starbase,” SpaceX wrote. “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.”
To tune into the live stream of Sunday’s test flight, you can look to coverage beginning at around 7:30 a.m. ET (4:30 a.m. PT) or you can follow updates on the flight at SpaceX’s X account.