SpaceX has announced the upcoming launch date for the third test flight of Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket, contingent upon approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The rocket is scheduled to launch “as soon as March 14.”
The announcement was made by SpaceX on social media alongside the launch of a dedicated page for the ‘launches’ section on its website. The company plans to livestream the launch spectacle on its website and platform X, starting 30 minutes before liftoff.
Standing at 120 meters tall and boasting 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, the Starship surpasses NASA’s most powerful rocket, the new Space Launch System, in terms of power. However, the first two test flights of the Starship ended in failure, with the rocket exploding before reaching orbit in the initial test.
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SpaceX acknowledged these setbacks, stating that each test flight is crucial for gathering data and rapidly developing the Starship. Despite facing challenges, the company emphasized the importance of these flight tests in advancing their spaceflight capabilities.
In the upcoming test flight, SpaceX aims to achieve several ambitious objectives, including successful ascent burns of both stages, opening and closing Starship’s payload door, a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage’s coast phase, the first-ever relight of a Raptor engine in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship.
The ultimate goal of SpaceX is to develop a versatile spaceflight system capable of transporting both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the moon, and Mars. In line with this objective, NASA has already entered into a partnership with SpaceX to utilize a modified version of the Starship spacecraft for a lunar mission set for 2026, which aims to land two astronauts on the moon.
