SpaceX
Here’s how to watch SpaceX Starship Flight 5 [LIVE]
SpaceX is launching the Starship Flight 5 on Sunday, October 13, and here’s how to watch it online at your home.
You can watch the complete Starship Flight 5 on the social media site X (formerly Twitter) via the link below. The webcast will also be available on the X TV app.
The 30-minute liftoff window will open at 7 a.m. CT from Boca Chica Launch Facility in Texas. However, several factors including system checks, weather, and other launch preps could cause a halt.
Watch Starship’s fifth flight test https://t.co/LVrCnTv797
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 12, 2024
Starship Flight 5 has one primary and a secondary objective.
Booster Recovery
The company will attempt the first-ever super heavy booster recovery with Flight 5. It will land the booster right on the launch tower arms and catch it in mid-air after the final burn. The step will come after the first stage separate with the spacecraft and enter the Boca Chica base trajectory.
SpaceX has been practicing maneuvers with this large tower since June this year and made many upgrades to the hardware and software of the booster, starship, and launch tower to work in harmony during the descent.
The company also has a fail-safe plan. If anything doesn’t go according to the plan, the booster will default its route and land in the Gulf of Mexico.
This will be the first time SpaceX will try to recover the super heavy booster and it depends on the Booster’s health to return to the tower and complete this primary objective.
Reentry
The second objective is to mature the reentry phase for spacecraft. With flight 3, SpaceX first flew the Starship into orbit. However, it lost connection with the team during descent due to the high atmospheric heat.
The fourth flight has shown significant improvement in this segment and led the flight to its very end in the Indian Ocean. However, the spacecraft still caught fire and missed its splash zone.
This time, the rocket maker has installed new heat shield tiles on Starship 5 spacecraft and is expected to test with this new flight.
