Follow firsthand the first orbital flight of SpaceX’s super-powered rocket Starship

After years of development, it was a big day. On Monday, April 17, SpaceX will conduct a lifetime test of its new rocket, Starship. The launcher is tested for the first time in its complete version, both levels are assembled. It’s an orbital flight: the rocket will launch into space from the United States before landing in the Pacific.

How to Watch Starship Release

The launch is being streamed on SpaceX’s YouTube channel. The shoot can be seen in the video below.

Brief introduction

• what First orbital flight of the starship, in full version.
• when On April 17, 2023 1:45 p.m
• or ? In Texas, then in space and the Pacific Ocean.
• What will we see? First flight of SpaceX’s new rocket, which will one day replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.

What is the mission?

Complete an orbital flight to overcome a stage in the development of the Starship Launcher. In recent years, SpaceX has conducted multiple experiments to validate its design choices. For example, test flights have made it possible to switch from a horizontal position to a vertical position to demonstrate the ability to re-ignite engines or prepare for landing.

This pass is important for the future. The US company has been preparing for the flight for months, accelerating in recent months. In January 2023, refueling of the starship tanks was carried out. In February, ignition of almost all super heavy engines took place. All this foreshadowed the April 17, 2023 meeting.

On paper, the launcher was supposed to leave Texas after going into space to finish its race in the Hawaiian archipelago. Starship is a large vehicle (119 meters) with a retro look. It consists of two parts: an upper stage, the spacecraft, which bears the same name as the rocket, and a lower stage, which provides the main thrust. It is super heavy.

SpaceX wants to make Starship the Swiss Army knife of space exploration. The range of missions the launcher can perform is huge: in theory, it should launch everything from satellites into orbit, deliver the International Space Station (ISS) and transport crews, and even be used for capture. The Moon, March and Beyond.

But before even imagining exploring the solar system, it’s important that the starship doesn’t crash on Earth (or in the ocean). For this flight, SpaceX announced that it would abandon some efforts. There was no question of the starship landing in an upright position. There was no plan to capture the Super Heavy with the Rocket Catcher Tower when it returned.

Start time

The US agency announced the test on April 17, 2023 starting at 1:45 PM Paris time.