[UPDATE: SpaceX has scrubbed Monday’s launch of the Starship — the second scrub in two days. It’s now targeting Tuesday, August 26 for launch. Full details below.]
SpaceX is close to launching its enormous Starship rocket for the 10th time.
The spaceflight company has announced that it’s targeting Tuesday, August 26, for the highly anticipated launch.
Comprising the upper stage Starship spacecraft and first-stage Super Heavy booster, the rocket will launch from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.
Once fully operational, NASA and SpaceX hope to use the 121-meter-tall Starship rocket for crew and cargo missions to the moon and possibly even Mars. First up, NASA wants to use a modified version of the spacecraft to return humans to the lunar surface in the Artemis III mission, which is currently set for 2027. But with testing of the Starship ongoing, that date may slip.
SpaceX has designed the Starship to be a fully reusable rocket, allowing it to use both the booster and spacecraft for multiple missions, thereby saving massively on mission costs.
How to watch
SpaceX is targeting 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, August 26, for the 10th Starship launch from the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas.
The livestream, which will begin about half an hour before launch, will be available on SpaceX’s X account. The NASASpaceflight YouTube channel is also livestreaming proceedings. We’ve embedded its feed at the top of this page.
Technical issues or adverse weather conditions could prompt SpaceX to launch later, so be sure to check back here — or SpaceX’s X account — for the latest information.
What to expect
Whether you’re there in person or watching online, you’ll witness the world’s most powerful rocket climbing skyward, generating around 17 million pounds of thrust as the huge rocket leaves the launchpad.
SpaceX will livestream the launch and early part of the flight, with cameras attached to both the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft tracking the mission’s progress.
Unlike some earlier Starship flights, the Super Heavy will not be returning to the launch tower after liftoff. Instead, cameras will capture footage of both parts of the vehicle coming down in their respective splashdown sites.
One more thing …
SpaceX chief Elon Musk has promised to give an update on the company’s plans for the Starship shortly before the 10th flight takes place. The event will likely involve Musk speaking from a stage at Starbase. We’ll update here when SpaceX confirms a start time for the event.
