SpaceX is preparing for the third test flight of Starship. The 122nd rocket will launch from the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, at around 14:00 Kyiv time on March 14th. A 110-minute launch window will open at that time.
The launch will be live-streamed on social media X and on the SpaceX website. The broadcast will start 30 minutes before the launch window.
Targeting Thursday, March 14 for Starship's third flight test. A 110-minute launch window opens at 7:00 a.m. CT → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbKMarch 13, 2024
The testing mission of the largest SpaceX rocket named Integrated Flight Test 3 (IFT-3) can also be watched on specialized YouTube channels, such as Spaceflight Now.
The first two flights, conducted on April 20 and November 18 of last year, were not completed as planned, as the rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico each time. A recently completed FAA investigation after the second test identified 17 corrective actions that SpaceX must take to obtain the final launch license, which the Federal Aviation Administration issued late Wednesday evening, reports Gizmodo.
SpaceX has outlined several goals for the third test flight, including a successful launch and burning of the Super Heavy carrier rocket (equipped with 33 Raptor engines) and the Starship propulsion block, opening and closing the cargo compartment doors of Starship, the first in history re-ignition of Raptor in space, and the controlled return of Starship to the atmosphere. Additionally, SpaceX plans to conduct a complex fuel transfer demonstration that it must perform in the future under contract with NASA.
Previously, SpaceX had targeted the Pacific Ocean for Starship, but for ITF-3 this has changed: the propulsion block is now aimed at the Indian Ocean. The entire mission, if successful, should last less than 10 minutes.
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