STARBASE, TEXAS—The eighth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch Thursday, March 6, from Starbase in Texas. The one-hour launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. ET.
A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff. You can watch it on X @SpaceX or spacex.com or on the X TV app.
The upcoming flight test’s objectives include Starship’s first payload deployment of four Starlink simulators that are similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites, a relight of a single Raptor engine while in space, and multiple reentry experiments geared towards returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch on future missions, including intentionally stressing the structural limits of the upper stage’s rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure.
The flight also includes the launch, return, and catch of the Super Heavy booster.
Developmental testing by definition is unpredictable. But by putting flight hardware in a flight environment as frequently as possible, we’re able to quickly learn and execute design changes as we seek to bring Starship online as a fully and rapidly reusable vehicle.
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