SpaceX is able to launch its first Starship flight of 2025, a mission that may check a brand new model of the world’s largest rocket. However if you happen to’re hoping to observe the deliberate Jan. 13 launch reside on-line, you may must know when and the place, and for that we have you coated.
After a profitable fueling check late Friday, Jan. 10, SpaceX is on observe to launch its Starship Flight 7 mission at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) on Monday, Jan. 13, from the corporate’s Starbase facility close to Boca Chica Seaside in South Texas. The mission will mark the seventh check flight of a SpaceX Starship, however it’s the primary of a brand new design for the rocket that features important upgrades. If all goes properly, the corporate will try and catch the Starship rocket’s enormous Tremendous Heavy booster at its launch web site because it did final fall.
You’ll watch the Starship Flight 7 launch reside on Area.com, courtesy of SpaceX, in a livestream that may probably start about half-hour earlier than launch time. Observe our Starship reside updates for extra mission milestones.
What time is SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 launch?
SpaceX is at the moment concentrating on 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) on Monday, Jan. 13, for the launch of its Starship Flight 7 check flight, a time that may guarantee it is going to be daytime within the Indian Ocean when the Ship automobile returns to Earth. Will probably be 4 p.m. native time on the Starbase launch web site at liftoff. The corporate might have no less than two backup days for the flight, if wanted.
On Friday, Jan. 10, SpaceX reported on X that it performed a profitable fueling check of the stacked Starship rocket and Tremendous Heavy booster, which stand almost 400 ft (122 meters) when absolutely assembled. The megarocket is the world’s tallest and strongest rocket.
SpaceX’s Starship rockets use 33 Raptor engines on the Tremendous Heavy booster to carry off its Mechazilla pad on the Starbase facility. The higher stage is powered by six vacuum Raptor engines.
The primary Starship launch lifted off in April 2023 however failed to succeed in house. It was SpaceX’s Flight 3 Starship that reached house for the primary time in March 2024. The corporate launched three extra missions in 2024, the spotlight of which was the Oct. 14 launch of Starship Flight 5, which marked the primary time SpaceX efficiently caught the large Tremendous Heavy rocket with the Mechazilla gantry arms.
Associated: Learn our SpaceX Starship and Tremendous Heavy information for an in depth look
Can I watch the SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 launch?
Sure, it is possible for you to to observe SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 check launch on-line. You should utilize a number of completely different livestreams to trace the mission, together with one we’ll simulcast on Area.com.
SpaceX’s official launch webcast will stream reside on the corporate’s X social media account , in addition to its Flight 7 mission page. The livestream ought to start about half-hour earlier than liftoff at 4:30p.m. EST (2030 GMT). Area.com’s VideoFromSpace YouTube channel will simulcast SpaceX’s official webcast, and it’ll seem on this web page and on the prime of our homepage.
NASASpaceflight.com is offering its own livestream YouTube. The channel additionally additionally affords 24/7 reside views of SpaceX’s Starship prepartions and Starbase operations.
In case you reside in South Texas or plan to drive to Starbase, you may attempt to watch the launch reside in particular person, however you’ll have to discover your personal viewing web site. SpaceX doesn’t supply an official viewing location for its Starship check flights.
The Starship pad is seen from a number of public seashores close to SpaceX’s Starbase web site. These embrace South Padre Island, the place you’ll find clear line-of-sight views of SpaceX’s Starship pad from Isla Blanca Park and its Cameron County Amphitheater. The close by Port Isabel may also be a superb viewing space, however make sure you scout potenital websites upfront. Site visitors may be heavy driving into each websites, so plan to reach early. And do not forget to pack snacks, folding chairs, bug spray and different necessities!
How lengthy is SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7?
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 check flight is anticipated to final about simply over 66 minutes, in keeping with a flight plan launched by SpaceX.
Per that plan, the Flight 7 Ship automobile is anticipated to fly on a trajectory similar to that of SpaceX’s Flight 6 Starship launch in November. In that earlier flight, Starship launched on a suborbital trajectory that reentered over the Indian Ocean, west of Australia.
Throughout its hour-long flight, the Ship automobile is anticipated to aim to deploy its 10 simulated Starlink satellites about 17 minutes after liftoff. On the 37-minute mark, the spacecraft is anticipated to relight considered one of its six Raptor engines in a relight demonstration just like one carried out on Flight 6.
“Whereas in house, Starship will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, related in dimension and weight to next-generation Starlink satellites as the primary train of a satellite tv for pc deploy mission,” SpaceX wrote in a mission overview. “The Starlink simulators can be on the identical suborbital trajectory as Starship, with splashdown focused within the Indian Ocean.”
The Tremendous Heavy booster launching Starship will even reenter Earth’s ambiance. SpaceX is hoping to catch the enormous rocket phases identical to the corporate did in October throughout its Starship Flight 5 check flight, when the rocket was captured by large steel “chopsticks” on what SpaceX calls Mechazilla, its Starship launch pad construction.
“Distinct automobile and pad standards should be met previous to a return and catch of the Tremendous Heavy booster, requiring wholesome programs on the booster and tower and a ultimate handbook command from the mission’s Flight Director,” SpaceX wrote in its overview.
If these standards aren’t met, SpaceX will forego the rocket catch try and Tremendous Heavy will routinely divert itself to a soft-landing try within the Gulf of Mexico. That is precisely what occurred in November in the course of the Flight 6 check flight. For Flight 7, each the Tremendous Heavy booster and the Mechazilla construction are carrying {hardware} upgrades to make a catch extra probably, “together with protections to the sensors on the tower chopsticks that had been broken at launch” in the course of the Flight 6 check flight, SpaceX mentioned.
| TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) | EVENT | Header Cell – Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T-1:15:00 | Flight director ballot for gas loading | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:44:59 | Starship liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:42:20 | Starship liquid methane loading begins | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:41:24 | Tremendous Heavy liquid methane loading begins | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:35:28 | Tremendous Heavy liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:19:40 | Tremendous Heavy Raptor engine chilldown | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:3:20 | Starship fueling full | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:2:50 | Tremendous Heavy fueling full | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:0:30 | Flight Director GO for launch | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:10 | Flame deflector activation | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:03 | Raptor ignition sequence startup | Row 10 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:00 | Liftoff (“Pleasure Assured,” SpaceX says) | Row 11 – Cell 2 |
| TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) | FLIGHT EVENT | Header Cell – Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T+00:02 | Liftoff | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T+01:02 | Starship/Tremendous Heavy attain Max Q | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T+02:32 | Tremendous Heavy predominant engine cutoff | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T+02:40 | Sizzling-staging separation/Starship Raptor engine ignition | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T+02:46 | Tremendous Heavy boostback burn startup | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T+03:29 | Tremendous Heavy boostback burn engine shutdown | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T+03:31 | Sizzling-stage jettison | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T+06:25 | Tremendous Heavy is transonic | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T+06:35 | Tremendous Heavy touchdown burn startup | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T+06:55 | Tremendous Heavy touchdown burn shutdown and catch strive | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T+08:53 | Starship engine cutoff | Row 10 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:17:33 | Payload deploy demo | Row 11 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:37:33 | Starship engine relight demonstration | Row 12 – Cell 2 |
| T+00:47:14 | Starship reentry | Row 13 – Cell 2 |
| T+01:03:12 | Starship transonic | Row 14 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:04:25 | Starship is subsonic | Row 15 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:06:13 | Touchdown flip | Row 16 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:06:19 | Touchdown burn | Row 17 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:06:39 | “An thrilling touchdown!” SpaceX says. | Row 18 – Cell 2 |
What if Starship cannot launch on Jan. 13?
If SpaceX is unable to launch Starship Flight 7 on Jan. 13, the corporate might doubtlessly strive once more a day afterward Jan. 14.
In line with officers with Cameron County in Texas, which is dwelling to SpaceX’s Starbase facility, road closures for the area around Starbase and Boca Chica Seaside are in work on launch day, in addition to on two “different days” for Jan. 14 and Jan. 15. The highway closures for every day from 9 a.m. native time to 10:30 p.m. native time, which suggests SpaceX might try a Starship launch on both of these days if the corporate chooses to not fly on Monday.
Nevertheless, any backup launch try for Starship Flight 7 is determined by how far SpaceX goes into fueling course of throughout a launch countdown. Up to now, SpaceX officers have mentioned it could actually take a number of days to restock the now almost 11 million kilos of liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant wanted for liftoff.
“As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and prone to change, so make sure you examine in right here and keep tuned to our X account for updates,” SpaceX wrote in its Flight 7 Starship overview.
Go to Area.com on Jan. 13 for full protection of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 launch check.
