SpaceX Starship third test flight today: Launch timings, streaming details
SpaceX, the space exploration company owned by Elon Musk, is preparing for its third test flight of the Starship rocket today. The launch will happen at 6:55pm in India, as per the latest update by SpaceX. You can watch the live streaming of today's test flight via NASASpaceflight channel on YouTube as well as via SpaceX's website and X account. The previous two attempts resulted in explosions before reaching their intended splashdown target in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
Objectives for today's test flight
Starship plays a pivotal role in NASA's lunar ambitions and Musk's Mars colonization plans. Today's test flight aims to achieve a "payload bay door test, fuel transfer from the header to the main tank, and an in-space Raptor Engine relight to demonstrate de-orbit capabilities," as per SpaceX. The upper stage Ship 28 is intended to make a hard splashdown in the Indian Ocean, while the lower Booster 10 will aim for a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX's partnership with NASA for lunar missions
As part of a $4 billion contract, NASA plans to utilize Starship for lunar missions in the coming years. This would mark the first human crew to land on the Moon since the Apollo era over half a century ago. The test flight serves as an early demonstration of Starship's capability to safely transport astronauts to the moon. It will require additional spacecraft from NASA and more fuel to be delivered in space by a fleet of 'tankers' refilling Starships.
Starship is world's most advanced rocket so far
SpaceX's Starship, the world's tallest rocket with a height of 394-feet, is also the most powerful ever built. Its thrust of 17 million pounds is powered by 33 Raptor engines. The thrust is almost twice that of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). In terms of usage, the Starship is akin to a space shuttle which can be reused after returning to Earth's surface.
