SpaceX Launches Third Starship Flight Test

SpaceX is targeting Thursday for the third flight of Starship. The license from the FAA was acquired. The flight will feature several upgrades to Booster and Ship, as well as a modification of the flight path to the Indian Ocean, instead of Hawaii. In space, SpaceX plans to demonstrate the payload dispenser door, and the capability to relight a Raptor in Space. Additionally, SpaceX wants to demonstrate the capability of in-space cryogenic propellant transfer.

The mission will attempt a soft splashdown of Booster 10 in the Gulf of Mexico, and a splashdown of Ship 28 in the Indian Ocean.

Window Opens: March 14th at 7:00AM CDT (12:00 UTC)
Window Closes: March 14th at 9:00AM CDT (14:00 UTC)

Mission: Starship's third fully integrated test flight
Vehicles: Booster 10 and Ship 28
Booster Recovery: Booster will attempt a soft splashdown ~20km offshore simulating a landing back on the chopsticks.
Ship Recovery: Ship will not be recovered but will attempt a controlled reentry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Stats:
· SpaceX's 26th launch of the year and the 7th launch of the month
· SpaceX's 3rd space launch from Starbase

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[JoseCarvalhojpgc]

Launch 8:43:58
Hot staging 8:46:55
Booster "re-entry" @50km altitude 8:50:15
Ship MECO 8:52:48
Payload door opening attempt 9:14:32
Start of plasma @ ship re-entry 9:30:28

What a flight!!

[SebPlaySpaceflight]

One of the coolest launches ever! R.I.P. booster 10 and ship 28.

[zapfanzapfan]

Getting signal live from during the reentry was just amazing! Thank you NSF for all the hard work!

[julz_swag]

Hats off to everyone at Spacex who worked so hard on this.

[Booster-I]

1:42 Stream Start (Live View and speech l)
7:10:49 1st Delay
7:43:32 2nd Delay
7:45:43 Tower Vent Start (and OLM vent)
7:53:42 Tower vent stop
8:01:14 Ship Prop. Loading
8:04:49 Booster Prop. Loading
8:40:11 Booster and Ship Prop load complete
8:43:42 FireX
8:43:50 T-10 Seconds
8:43:56 Deluge
8:43:58 Ignition and Liftoff!
8:45:06 MAX Q
8:45:52 On board views
8:46:50 Hot Staging
8:47:33 B10 Boostback view
8:47:56 Boostback shutdown
8:50:19 Grid Fin Action
8:51:08 B10 Failed Landing Burn (Not FTS hit ocean)
8:52:48 SECO, S28 in space
9:00:25 Payload Bay Door Open
9:14:30 Payload Bay Door closed (wobble)
Fuel Transfer is done during sometime around here
9:30:19 Ship 28 Re Entry
9:33:54 Loss of Ship 28 (seen by data in bottom right)
9:36:28 Chopsticks start closing
9:50:17 Highway 4 Opens
9:58:10 Chopsticks lowering
10:18:03 Special Outro
Congrats SpaceX

[tinyboi_]

I have been watching every livestream since SN4 exploded. And I can genuinely say that this is the coolest thing I have ever seen. Great job guys!!! And a big thanks to Mary as always. We are all tank watchers for life.

[foggiertiger]

guys, I respect lon, but can we please get a commentator who knows what they're talking about and is enthusiastic leading the most important stream of the year so far, please, for the sake of the community.

[testing]

9:14:29 "It's like, when will this thing fail?" Followed immediately by something structural failing on the cargo bay door.

[FiveThreeZero]

Starship has gone further than ever before. What a day! On to the next pair! Such an incredible launch and the VIEWS! Can't wait for the next one. We have seen re-entry footage before but somehow this one from starship just felt and looked incredible, that plasma!!

[smavtmb]

WOW! That was so Incredible.
It was insane seeing the footage of plasma forming on Ship 28 during re-entry. Can't wait to hear what SpaceX will learn from this flight test, and the changes that will be made for IFT-4

[MickRonald]

A massive thank you to the entire NASASpaceflight team for all your hard work and dedication. This was truly a fantastic stream. Also want to thank all the very generous gifters for their super chats, memberships, tips. Amazing support.

[cogoid]

For any other rocket, this flight would have been a complete success. But of course SpaceX is trying to do a much harder thing. It will be very exciting to see what they will be able to accomplish in the next flights.

[EMichaelBall]

My jaw was agape at the reentry. WOW!!

[clems]

Everything that failed on IFT2 Worked on IFT3 ! That is 100% success!

[paveltolz]

"Hard Splash Down" Love it. Hope we can see the 1000 plus KM 'splash down' footage soon.

[pornstarSR]

I have never, along with a ton of people NEVER seen that view of reentry. amazing. plus amazing progression in this test flight

[kelseyriano]

a ver great ending for a disappointing birthday for me, thank you nasaspaceflight for this very lovely cover

[CoffeeMonster]

SpaceX mentioned on their stream that future engine upgrades will give the booster 3 times the thrust of the Saturn V, aka over 100 meganewtons of thrust

[christhegardener]

Just got in from work, watching the replay, my heart is thumping with excitement and joy! What a launch, those beautiful diamonds, the plasma, the re-entry view...phoaw! And as I type this replay is over the 2 million views mark - great work all day NSF, great job!

[TheDaexiled]

The Starlink system is the reason why the feed lasted as long as it did, to see the re-entry plasma like that is a first for all of us