As long as we’ve been on this planet, humans have been reaching for the stars. Whether it be early astronomers attempting to prove the Earth isn’t round or physicists in the ’60s putting a man on the moon, there’s something irresistible about space. It’s no different in the modern day either: we’re all desperate to know what’s going on beyond the clouds.
Today (March 14), SpaceX, one of the biggest space exploration companies in the world, is sending a new rocket into the stratosphere. Here’s everything you need to know about the launch including how you can watch it from the comfort of your sofa.
What is Starship?
Starship is the world’s biggest rocket. It’s incredibly heavy, and this is its third test run. Its other two didn’t go exactly to plan, with the first needing to be exploded for safety and the second falling apart, so this voyage is definitely one to watch.
When is the SpaceX Starship test launch and what time is it launching?
The company is aiming to liftoff today (Thurs March 14) at 8am ET, which is 12am GMT. There will be a livestream of the launch, which will open half an hour before launch at 11:30 GMT, and things might run a little behind schedule – they have a window of just under two hours to actually make the launch happen.
How to watch the SpaceX Starship launch live:
The livestream is free, and can be accessed on various platforms, primarily SpaceX’s own website and NASA’s YouTube channel. NASA’s stream is already going and features commentary from experts, if that’s your sort of thing.
What is the purpose of the launch, and does it matter if this launch goes wrong?
These launches are meant to try out new technology without the risk of harming anyone. SpaceX themselves say: ‘Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test. They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.’
Today’s launch will trial a couple of new things, including a new flight path and a bunch of very technical astrophysics stuff, which you can learn about here if you’re particularly knowledgeable about rockets.
What happened when Starship launched before?
Although the past two starship tests didn’t go completely to plan, they weren’t complete wastes as they allowed the company to learn from their mistakes, and hopefully avoid them this time. With any luck, Starship’s third test run won’t have to be blown up to avoid civilian casualties.
Who is the owner of SpaceX?
The hint is in the fact that their website actually refers to ‘Twitter’ as ‘X’. Billionaire Elon Musk funds SpaceX as a sort of passion project.
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