Tonight, SpaceX will perform its eighth test of the Starship super-heavy rocket. We tell you about the main goals of the upcoming flight and where you can watch it live.
Main tasks of the eighth Starship flight
Starship’s eighth flight will be marked by working on mistakes. The fact is that the previous launch of a super-heavy rocket ended with a spectacular firework display over the Caribbean Sea, followed by a fallout of debris. The cause of the accident was an increase in pressure in the engine compartment, apparently caused by a fuel leak. It caused a fire, cascading engine shutdowns and loss of communication with the spacecraft. About three minutes after that, it was detonated by the flight termination system (it triggered autonomously).
The accident was quite frustrating for SpaceX — because it was the first time a new version of Starship was being tested. The spacecraft has gotten a lot of upgrades and increased in size. Because of this, it can take 25% more fuel and is capable of launching up to 150 tons of cargo into low orbit in a reusable configuration.
The main objective of Starship’s eighth flight is to demonstrate the reliability of the upgraded spacecraft and its increased capabilities. It will follow the same scheme as in previous times. The super-heavy rocket will be launched from the Starbase test facility in Texas. After separation, the Super Heavy booster should return to the launch site where it will be picked up by the Mechazilla turret. Starship, on the other hand, will be launched into an unclosed orbit. The spacecraft will fly across Africa before landing in the Indian Ocean.
During Starship’s stay in space, it is planned to conduct a number of experiments and technology demonstrations that could not be accomplished during the previous mission. These include:
- Deploying mock-ups of Starlink satellites in space;
- Restarting one of the Raptor engines in space;
- Starlink transmits video and telemetry at speeds of over 120 Mbps during each phase of Starship flight;
- Checking Starship’s upgraded thermal protection and testing the spacecraft’s operating modes during re-entry.
Live broadcast of the Starship launch
The Starship launch will be broadcast live by SpaceX traditionally on the X social network (formerly Twitter). The one-hour window for Starship launch will open on March 3 at 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT). The broadcast will start 40 minutes before the launch.
Watch Starship’s eighth flight test → https://t.co/alyJTRtgTh https://t.co/hlpEF4ICyT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 2, 2025
In addition to the official broadcast, various space bloggers and communities will be hosting their own Youtube broadcasts of the Starship flight.
According to SpaceX’s plans, Starship will next be launched into full orbit and make at least one orbit around the Earth. It’s also possible that SpaceX will reuse the Super Heavy booster for the first time on its ninth flight, as well as attempt to catch Starship itself using the Mechazilla turret. But all these plans depend on the success of the current test and whether the spacecraft will not once again become a pile of wreckage burning up in the atmosphere.
