Elon Musk’s SpaceX will attempt the sixth flight test of its massive Starship rocket that will one day transport humans to the moon and Mars.
The mission will see the 400-foot-tall Starship stacked on top of the 233-foot-tall Super Heavy booster, which will take off from Boca Chica, Texas around 5:30pm ET with the launch window closing about 30 minutes later.
While the surrounding area of the launch pad will be packed with spectators, viewers at home can catch the launch in a live webcast on the SpaceX page on X and the new X TV app.
After separating from the booster, Starship will reach altitudes of between 93 and 146 miles above Earth.
The powerful rocket will then begin its reentry 47 minutes after its launch, with the upper stage landing in the Indian Ocean at one hour and five minutes.
Meanwhile, the Super Heavy booster will fly back to the launchpad where it will be caught by giant mechanical arms, nicknamed ‘Chopsticks.’
The launch aims to expand Starship’s booster by testing its heatshield and maneuvering capabilities upon reentry over the Indian Ocean.
Also in the crowd will be President-elect Donald Trump who developed a close relationship with Musk along his campaign trail and even offered the billionaire a role in leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
Tuesday’s mission comes just over a month after SpaceX first caught a Starship with mechanical arms, underscoring its position as the world leader in reusable rocketry.
‘It was a beautiful thing to see,’ Trump declared in his election night victory speech, dramatically recounting the feat.
Elon Musk ‘s SpaceX will attempt the sixth flight test of its massive Starship rocket that will one day transport humans to the moon and Mars
Elon Musk has been a vocal supporter of President elect Donald Trump who is expected to join the SpaceX CEO during Tuesday’s Starship launch
And today, SpaceX will be looking to prove the first catch wasn’t a fluke.
Flight six will revisit many of the goals from flight five, with some updates.
If all goes as planned, the returning booster will decelerate from supersonic speeds, creating sonic booms as it nears the launch tower.
There, a pair of massive mechanical arms will reach out to catch it and bring it to a halt, around eight to ten minutes after liftoff.
Technical goals include reigniting Starship’s Raptor engines for the first time in space and carrying out new heat shield experiments in what will be the final flight for the current generation of Starship prototypes.
Musk has touted his current Starship rocket as ‘more than twice as powerful as the Saturn V Moon rocket’ which launched the Apollo 4 mission in 1967.
SpaceX said today’s launch will provide valuable data that will allow the company to continue to improve its hardware and software performances, ‘increase structural strength at key areas, and shorten the timeline to offload propellants from the booster following a successful catch.’
Musk stated that ‘thousands of small design changes [are] also being tested,’ although he didn’t specifically state what those changes are.
The company is planning for the booster to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico but said the booster’s return to the launchpad will only take place if the conditions are right to ensure the safety of the public and the SpaceX team.
If conditions aren’t ideal, the booster will default to a trajectory that will force it to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
Flight six will revisit many of the goals from flight five, with some updates. If all goes as planned, the returning booster will decelerate from supersonic speeds, creating sonic booms as it nears the launch tower.
The SpaceX Starship (pictured) is set to launch from Texas at 5pm ET on Tuesday where it will stay in orbit for 47 minutes before beginning its descent back to Earth
Musk, who was a major donor in Trump’s campaign, has been by his side since the election and played a vital role in helping select Cabinet members.
After winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump spoke about Musk’s Starship efforts, telling reporters: ‘He’s a character. He’s a special guy. He’s a super genius.
‘We have to protect our geniuses. We don’t have that many of them. We have to,’ he added.
There is speculation that Trump named him as the co-runner of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which would allow him to reallocate federal spending.
The appointment has raised scrutiny over a conflict of interest after the federal government committed to fund $4.4 billion to SpaceX to pay for its Starship missions to the moon.
Musk’s involvement in DOGE could allow him to seek billions of dollars in additional federal contracts.
That in turn has led to concerns Musk will face possible conflicts of interest if he’s seen to influence government regulators to the benefit of his six companies, including SpaceX and its flagship project, Starship.
Ahead of the fifth flight, SpaceX wrote a lengthy post complaining that ‘the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd,’ singling out a ‘superfluous environmental analysis’ for a launch delay.
