SpaceX has unveiled the target date for its next Starship megarocket launch, hoping the third time will be the charm after two failures earlier this year. But if you plan to watch the launch live, you'll need to know when to tune in and for that, space fans, we've got you covered.
The Starship Flight 9 launch, as it's called, is scheduled to launch no earlier than Tuesday, May 27, at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) from SpaceX's Starbase test site near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. Like its name suggests, this will be the ninth test flight of the giant SpaceX rocket, but it is the first to attempt to reuse the giant Super Heavy booster, the first stage of Starship.
It comes after two failed launches this year, Flight 7 and Flight 8, in January and March, respectively. On those flights, SpaceX successfully returned its Super Heavy booster to Earth in back-to-back rocket catches at with giant chopsticks, but the Ship stage of the rocket failed shortly after liftoff.
What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 9 launch?
SpaceX is currently targeting a 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) launch time for Flight 9 on May 27, but that time could shift depending on the vehicle's status. It will be 6:30 p.m. local time in Texas. SpaceX has not listed a specific window for the flight, but has followed 30-minute windows in the past, which could put the launch anytime between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. EDT (2330-0000 GMT), if the company does so again.
The launch date, itself, is a no earlier than date, but local officials for the area around SpaceX's Starbase have announced road closures for the area through May 29, suggesting back up days on May 28 and May 29 are possible.
Related: Read our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look
SpaceX is being extra careful with this launch to test the reuse of its massive Super Heavy booster. The booster on Flight 9 was use to launch the Flight 7 Ship in January, with only four of its 33 Raptor engines being replaced for this mission.
The entire Starship vehicle, when assembled, stands about 400 feet (122 meters), making it the world's largest and most powerful rocket. It is designed to be fully reusable to enable trips to low Earth orbit, the moon (NASA's picked Starship to land Artemis astronauts in 2027), and ultimately fly to Mars.
Can I watch SpaceX's Starship Flight 9 launch?
Yes, you can watch SpaceX's Starship Flight 9 launch. The company will offer a free live webcast of the launch on May 27 starting at 7 p.m. EST (2300 GMT), about 30 minutes before liftoff. You can watch that livestream on SpaceX's Flight 9 mission page, as well as on the @SpaceX X account and X TV app.
Space.com will also simulcast the SpaceX webcast on this page, our homepage and via YouTube.
NASASpaceflight.com will offer its own livestream YouTube, and will include a substantial prelaunch show with views of fueling and more. The channel also offers live 24/7 views of SpaceX's Starship and Starbase operations.
If you plan to travel to South Texas to see Starship Flight 9 in person, there are several places where you can observe the launch.
South Padre Island offers a clear view of the launch from its Cameron County Amphithear in Isla Blanca Park. The nearby shoreline of Port Isabel is another option, but plan ahead as traffic can be heavy at times.
How long is SpaceX's Starship Flight 9?
SpaceX's Starship Flight 9 mission is expected to last just over one hour and is hoping to replicate the path of its immediate predecessor, Starship Flight 8 in March, before that mission ended in failure. SpaceX had hoped to attempt a mock Starlink satellite deployment on Flight 7 (among other tests) before attempting a "soft landing" in the Indian Ocean and sinking.
The Starship upper stage will again target multiple in-space objectives, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites," SpaceX wrote in a mission overview. "The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon entry. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned."
The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, will NOT attempt to return to its launch site and be captured by SpaceX's giant Mechazilla chopsticks. Instead, it will attempt a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico and be discarded. That's because it is the first time SpaceX is attempting to refly such a huge rocket.
TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) | EVENT | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
T-1:15:00 | Flight director poll for fuel loading | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
T-0:51:37 | Starship liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
T-0:45:20 | Starship liquid methane loading begins | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
T-0:41:37 | Super Heavy liquid methane loading begins | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
T-0:35:52 | Super Heavy liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
T-00:19:40 | Super Heavy Raptor engine chilldown | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
T-00:3:20 | Starship fueling complete | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
T-00:2:50 | Super Heavy fueling complete | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
T-00:0:30 | Flight Director GO for launch | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
T-00:00:10 | Flame deflector activation | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
T-00:00:03 | Raptor ignition sequence startup | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
T-00:00:00 | Liftoff ("Excitement Guaranteed," SpaceX says) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) | FLIGHT EVENT | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
T+00:02 | Liftoff | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
T+01:02 | Starship/Super Heavy reach Max Q | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
T+02:35 | Super Heavy main engine cutoff | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
T+02:37 | Hot-staging separation/Starship Raptor engine ignition | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
T+02:47 | Super Heavy boostback burn startup | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
T+03:27 | Super Heavy boostback burn engine shutdown | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
T+03:29 | Hot-stage jettison | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
T+06:19 | Super Heavy landing burn startup | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
T+06:40 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
T+08:56 | Starship engine cutoff | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
T+00:18:26 | Payload deploy demo | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
T+00:37:49 | Starship engine relight demonstration | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
T+00:47:50 | Starship reentry | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
T+01:03:11 | Starship transonic | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
T+1:04:26 | Starship is subsonic | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
T+1:06:11 | Landing flip | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
T+1:06:16 | Landing burn | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
T+1:06:38 | "An exciting landing!" SpaceX says. | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
"The booster on this flight test is also attempting several flight experiments to gather real-world performance data on future flight profiles and off-nominal scenarios," SpaceX wrote in the overview. "To maximize the safety of launch infrastructure at Starbase, the Super Heavy booster will attempt these experiments while on a trajectory to an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America and will not return to the launch site for catch." (President Trump has signed an executive order renaming the Gulf or Mexico body of water the Gulf of America.)
If all goes well, the Flight 9 Super Heavy booster should land in the Gulf of Mexico just under seven minutes after launch, with the payload deployment test about 18 minutes after liftoff and the Starship landing in the Indian Ocean about 66 minutes into the flight.
What if Starship can't launch on May 28?
If SpaceX is unable to launch Starship's Flight 9 test mission on May 27, the company could try again on May 28 and May 29.
A public advisory from Cameron County, which contains Starbase, stated that road closures are possible from May 27 to May 29 for the Starship launch activities.
"I have ordered the closure of Boca Chica Beach and Hwy 4 for the purpose of protecting Public Health and Safety during SpaceX flight testing activities on May 27, 2025, in the time period between 10:30 a.m. C.S.T. to 9:30 p.m. C.S.T. and in the alternative on May 28, 2025, or May 29, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. C.S.T. to 9:30 p.m. C.S.T., of the same day," Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. wrote in the advisory. "Should SpaceX not complete its planned flight-testing activity on May 27, 2025, then SpaceX may use the alternate dates to complete its testing activities."
As mentioned above, SpaceX has repeatedly warned that its schedule is dynamic and could change. The company plans to share its latest launch targets via its @SpaceX account on X.
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