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It’s official: SpaceX is “go” to launch what might be its most ambitious Starship test flight yet, and if you’re hoping to watch it live online, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
SpaceX’s next Starship test launch, dubbed Starship Flight 5, is now officially scheduled to launch Sunday 13 October at 8 EDT (1200 GMT) from the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. It will be at 7am local time on site at the launch. You’ll be able to watch the launch live on Space.com, thanks to a SpaceX simulcast, starting at 7:25 a.m. EDT (1125 GMT).
As the name suggests, Flight 5 is SpaceX’s fifth test flight of its massive Starship and Super Heavy rocket, the world’s largest and most powerful booster. For this flight, SpaceX hopes to launch the Starship on a smooth flight and re-entry to splash down in the Indian Ocean. But in a twist, SpaceX will attempt to return the Super Heavy’s first stage to its launch pad and catch the booster in mid-air using giant metal “chopstick” arms of its “Mechazilla” cushion structure. The system is designed to shorten the processing time for Starship launches. Follow our Starship live updates for more mission milestones.
What time does SpaceX’s Starship Flight 5 start?
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 5 is currently scheduled to launch at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) or 7 a.m. CDT from the company’s Starbase test site near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. However, SpaceX has a 30-minute window to launch the Flight 5 mission. That means the Starship could lift off anytime in between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT).
“SpaceX engineers have spent years preparing and months testing for the booster capture attempt, with engineers spending tens of thousands of hours building the infrastructure to maximize our chances of success,” SpaceX wrote in a mission statement. “We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only be attempted if conditions are right.”
When fully stacked, SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy boosters are the world’s tallest and most powerful rockets. They are nearly 400 feet tall (122 meters), with 33 Raptor engines powering the Super Heavy first stage, while six Raptor engines power the Starship spacecraft.
SpaceX reached space with a Starship for the first time on the Flight 4 test flight on June 6, but the Starship vehicle experienced some burn-through on its fins during re-entry. The Super Heavy successfully made a “soft landing” splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The fifth flight test of Starship will aim to take another step towards full and rapid reusability,” SpaceX wrote in its mission statement. “The primary objectives will be to attempt the first ever launch site return and capture of the Super Heavy booster and a second Starship re-entry and landing burn, with a view to a targeted splashdown of the Starship in the Indian Ocean.”
SpaceX plans for Starship and Super Heavy to be a fully reusable launch system. NASA has chosen the towering stainless steel rocket to land its Artemis 3 astronauts on the moon in late 2026.
Related: Read our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look
Originally, the Federal Aviation Administration told SpaceX that Flight 5 would not receive a launch license until sometime in November due to the time required for review. That led to complaints from SpaceX, which believed the delay was unnecessary since the company had been ready to launch since August. The FAA ultimately issued a new launch license to SpaceX on October 12, clearing the way for the launch.
“The FAA has issued a license amendment authorizing SpaceX to launch multiple missions of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle on the Flight 5 mission profile,” FAA officials wrote in an Oct. 12 statement. “The FAA determined that SpaceX met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements for the suborbital test flight.”
Can I see SpaceX’s Starship Flight 5 launch?
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Yes, you can watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight 5 launch online, and there are several websites where you’ll be able to find live streams, including Space.com.
SpaceX’s official launch livestream can be found on the company’s X account (formerly Twitter), starting 35 minutes before departure – so around 7:25 a.m. EDT (1125 GMT).
Space.com’s own VideoFromSpace YouTube channel will simulcast SpaceX’s official webcast, and it will appear on this page and at the top of our website.
However, several SpaceX viewing locations with cameras at Starbase will host live streams in the hours leading up to the launch. NASASpaceflight.com’s YouTube channel, for example, regularly offers live views of SpaceX’s Starship activities on
Star base pads and elsewhere. Its hosts will offer live commentary during the fueling process as before.
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If you live within driving distance of SpaceX’s Starbase test site, you can try watching the launch live in person. While SpaceX does not have an official display site, the Starship pad is visible from several public beaches.
On South Padre Island, you can find clear views of the Starship’s pad from the shore of Isla Blanca Park and the Cameron County Amphitheater. I watched SpaceX’s Starship Flight 1 from this location in April 2023. There is also a public toilet which is
a plus, but traffic into the park can be heavy prior to a launch, so plan to arrive early. You must also bring a folding chair, water, sunscreen and perhaps some snacks as you see fit. The coastline of nearby Port Isabel can also be a good viewing zone for launches.
How long is SpaceX’s Starship Flight 5?
If SpaceX replicates its Flight 4 profile for Starship Flight 5, the mission should last just over an hour.
Flight 5 will launch the Starship on a trajectory that will carry it into space and re-enter over the Indian Ocean, west of Australia.
“Starship will fly a similar trajectory to the previous splashdown flight test aimed at the Indian Ocean,” SpaceX wrote in its mission statement. “This flight path does not require a deorbit burn for reentry, maximizing public safety while still allowing for our primary objective of a controlled reentry and soft water landing of the Starship.”
However, the fate of the Super Heavy booster is not fixed. While SpaceX hopes to try to catch it mid-air during a return to the launch pad about 7 minutes after launch, the company could also soft-land it in the Gulf of Mexico like on Flight 4.
“Thousands of different vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to an attempt to return and capture the Super Heavy booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a manual command from the mission’s Flight Director,” SpaceX wrote. “If this command is not sent with priority to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automatic health checks show unacceptable conditions with the Super Heavy or the turret, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.”
| TIME (Mr:Min:Sec) | CASE | Header cell – column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T-1:15:00 | Flight director vote for refueling | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:49:50 | Loading of liquid methane from a spaceship begins | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:48:40 | Loading of liquid oxygen from the spacecraft begins | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:40:40 | Super Heavy liquid methane loading begins | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T-0:34:03 | Super Heavy liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:19:40 | Super Heavy Raptor engine cooling | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:3:20 | Spaceship refueling completed | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:2:50 | Super Heavy refueling complete | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:30 | Flight Director GO for launch | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:10 | Flame retardant activation | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:03 | Raptor ignition sequence startup | Row 10 – Cell 2 |
| T-00:00:00 | Liftoff (“thrill guaranteed,” as SpaceX puts it.) | Row 11 – Cell 2 |
| TIME (Mr:Min:Sec) | FLIGHT EVENT | Header cell – column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| T+00:02 | Lift | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
| T+01:02 | Spaceship/Super Heavy range Max Q | Row 1 – Cell 2 |
| T+2:33 | Super Heavy main engine cutoff | Row 2 – Cell 2 |
| T+2:41 | Hot-staging separation/Starship Raptor engine ignition | Row 3 – Cell 2 |
| T+2:48 | Super Heavy boostback burn startup | Row 4 – Cell 2 |
| T+3:41 | Super Heavy boostback internal combustion engine shutdown | Row 5 – Cell 2 |
| T+3:43 | Hot-stage Jettison | Row 6 – Cell 2 |
| T+6:08 | Super Heavy is supersonic | Row 7 – Cell 2 |
| T+6:33 | Super Heavy landing burn startup | Row 8 – Cell 2 |
| T+6:50 | Super Heavy splashdown (if no catch attempt) | Row 9 – Cell 2 |
| T+6:56 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and capture attempt | Row 10 – Cell 2 |
| T+8:27 | Power ship’s engine cut | Row 11 – Cell 2 |
| T+48:03 | Boarding a starship | Row 12 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:02:34 | Spaceship transonic | Row 13 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:03:43 | Starship is subsonic | Row 14 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:05:15 | Landing flip | Row 15 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:05:20 | Landing burn | Row 16 – Cell 2 |
| T+1:05:34 | “An exciting landing!” says SpaceX. | Row 17 – Cell 2 |
What if Starship can’t launch on Sunday?
If SpaceX is unable to launch Starship Flight 5 on October 13, the company may try again 24 hours later on October 14.
According to a road closure warning from Cameron County, the south Texas region that includes SpaceX’s Starbase facility, officials have posted road and beach closures at Boca Chica Beach for launch day, Oct. 13. with “possible closures” on 14 Oct. and 15 Oct. These closures run from 12.00 to 2 p.m. local time for all three days, suggesting that SpaceX may have up to three opportunities to launch Flight 5.
As always, any backup launch attempt depends on how far SpaceX gets in its Starship and Super Heavy fueling process. SpaceX has previously said it will take several days to replenish the more than 10 million pounds of supercold liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant needed for the launch.
If a significant technical error or concern occurs during the countdown to the Flight 5 launch, SpaceX will likely have to wait until it is resolved to try again.
Editor’s note: Visit Space.com early on October 13 for complete coverage of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 5 launch test.