How to watch SpaceX launch Starship megarocket on fourth test flight

By Trevor Mogg Published June 6, 2024

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft separating from the first-stage Super Heavy rocket in the vehicle's second integrated test flight in November 2023. — SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft separates from the first-stage Super Heavy rocket during the vehicle’s second integrated test flight in November 2023. SpaceX

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, June 6, for the fourth test flight of its Starship rocket.

Confirmation of the schedule came after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handed SpaceX a launch license for the mission on Tuesday.

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SpaceX’s 120-meter-tall vehicle is the most powerful ever to fly and comprises the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft. The maiden test flight of the Starship took place last year, but ended within minutes after an anomaly occurred shortly after liftoff. The second flight went a step further by achieving stage separation, while the third test two months ago met many of its mission goals and was by far the most successful of the three efforts.

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Engineers are working toward making the Starship a fully reusable system. Whereas SpaceX currently only recovers the first-stage of its dependable Falcon 9 rocket, the plan is to land and reuse both stages of the Starship, though this won’t be happening during these early tests.

Once fully certified, the rocket will be used for crew and cargo missions to the moon and possibly Mars. SpaceX has also said that the spacecraft could one day be used for high-speed transportation, which it says will make any destination on Earth reachable “in one hour or less.”

How to watch

SpaceX will launch the Starship on its fourth test flight from the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The mission team is aiming to launch the rocket at 8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT on Thursday, June 6. The launch window will last two hours.

SpaceX will begin a live stream of the event on its X (formerly Twitter) account about 30 minutes before liftoff. Those tuning in will witness an astonishing spectacle as the Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines blast the massive rocket skyward. Multiple camera angles — including several attached to the two rocket stages — will capture the various stages of the mission as it progresses, including the dramatic launch, stage separation, and the insertion of the Starship spacecraft into orbit.

If there are any changes to the schedule, we’ll be sure to update them here, though you can also keep an eye on SpaceX’s X account for the very latest updates.

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Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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