After years of working on the design and construction of a starship deep space rocket system, SpaceX is finally ready to launch the most sophisticated spaceship into space. The commercial space agency successfully met all the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration and geared up for its first orbital-velocity launch of a Super Heavy Booster and Starship upper stage. How will the Starship commence on this history-breaking test flight? How can you watch starship first orbital flight? Continue reading to find out.
How SpaceX will launch the Gigantic Starship into Space
SpaceX anticipates launching its Starship deep-space rocket system on Monday, (April 17) from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT). The first orbital test flight of the gigantic space rocket is expected to last for about 90 minutes.
On April 5, SpaceX engineers successfully stacked the huge 394-foot tall (120 meters) two-stage starship at Starbase for April 17th launch. The technicians have put the starship into several testing procedures to ensure that they successfully deployed the first orbital test flight. The Starship comprises a gigantic first-stage booster named the Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft called the Starship.
SpaceX is planning to use Ship 24 and Booster 7 to accomplish its test flight tomorrow. With the huge success SpaceX has accomplished so far with its Falcon rockets, the entire world is looking forward to the test launch of its Starships. In fact, the outcome of this test flight will surely determine the next phase of the Starship rockets in exploring the Universe.
How the Launch of the starship First Orbital Flight Will Commence
The launch starship will take off from Starbase and fly east over the Gulf of Mexico and between the Straits of Florida before landing near Hawaii. The entire spaceflight is scheduled to last for about 90 minutes. SpaceX engineers designed both the Super Heavy and Starship to be completely reusable. This orbital test flight will be the only mission Booster 7 and Starship 24 will fly together. The two space vehicles will splash down in the ocean instead of making a vertical landing as Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy usually do.
The Booster 7 is powered by 33 Raptor methane-liquid oxygen engines which will enable the booster to perform exceptionally well. SpaceX mission team revealed that these 33-raptor engines would shut down after 169 seconds into the test flight after which it would separate from Ship 24 in the next three seconds.
After the separation, Booster 7 will restart only a few engines and fly black towards Texas. This will enable the booster to splash down at about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico about eight minutes later after the space launch. At about three minutes into the test flight, the Starship upper stage’s six Raptor engines will start up again, propelling the space vehicle eastward.
SpaceX engineers reveal that these engines will burn for nearly 6.5 minutes before shutting down at about 560 seconds into the flight. The Starship is not expected to complete a full orbit around Earth. However, it will attain a milestone known as orbital velocity for low Earth orbit which is about 17,500 mph (28,160 kph). This is approximately 150 miles from the launch terminal.
When the spacecraft finally reach this milestone, SpaceX engineers will proceed to put the Starship through testing of high-velocity reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. If everything goes as planned, the spacecraft will splash down at about 62 miles (100 km) off the northwest coast of Kauai, part of the Hawaiian archipelago.
SpaceX mission team reveals that the splashdown is planned to take place about 90 minutes after the beginning of the mission from Boca Chica. The test flight targets to provide several valuable information for the SpaceX team of experts.
How to Watch Starship First Orbital Flight
SpaceX is set to launch its first orbital test flight of its Starship on April 17. The commercial space company is targeting the liftoff to commence at 8 a.m. EDT (7 a.m. CDT/1200 GMT) and make the launch window that runs for about 150 minutes through 10:30 a.m. EDT/1430 GMT. SpaceX is planning to commence its webcast 45 minutes before the liftoff. Hence, this webcast is scheduled to commence around 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT). You can proceed to watch it live from the SpaceX YouTube channel or webcast.
Conclusion
The launch of Starship first orbital flight on April 17 will surely unlock several doors for SpaceX. The outcome of this test flight will determine how the commercial aerospace company will handle its future starship flights to space. What do you think about this forthcoming mission?
