Watch SpaceX launch Starship Flight 7

SpaceX is planning to launch its seventh Starship mission from Starbase, Texas later this afternoon. Here’s how to watch and get live updates of the launch:

Update: Starship Flight 7: SpaceX makes second booster catch, Block 2 Starship loss during ascent

Important Launch Window

Launch Window Open: 4:00 P.M. CT

Launch Window Closes: 5:00 P.M. CT

Current Liftoff Time: 4:37 P.M. CT

Weather: Green

Propellent Loading: Full

Updates

All times CST

5:01 P.M. – SpaceX confirms they lost the ship.

4:54 P.M. – SpaceX believes they loss the ship just before the ascent burn was finished.

4:51 P.M. – Teams are not sure if they lost the whole ship or just comms.

4:49 P.M. – Comms was lost with the ship.

4:46 P.M. – Sounds like something off nominal took place with the ship.

4:45 P.M. – Starship’s engines have shut down except for one.

4:43 P.M. – Landing burn. Successful catch.

4:41 P.M. – Hot staging ring jettison.

4:40 P.M. – One engine down on the booster. GO for booster return.

4:39 P.M. – BECO. Hot staging. Boost back startup.

4:38 P.M. – Starship is super sonic. Max-Q.

4:37 P.M. – Liftoff!

4:36 P.M. – T-1 minute. Everything is still green. Director is GO for launch.

4:32 P.M. – T-5 minutes. Propellent loading is finishing up.

4:27 P.M – T-10 minutes. All signs point to a good launch attempt.

4:16 P.M. – Booster propellent loading is about halfway full, Ship is about three quarters full.

4:14 P.M. – Both weather and range look to be green for launch.

4:06 P.M. – T-30 minutes. No work on any issues being worked.

4:03 P.M. – Looks like SpaceX’s stream was delayed in starting. No change in T-0 time.

3:57 P.M. – SpaceX’s live coverage has begun, likely meaning a slight delay to the T-0 time.

3:50 P.M. – Ship liquid oxygen propellent has likely begun.

3:32 P.M. – SpaceX is go for propellent loading.

3:31 P.M – Venting has begun to show from the launch tower, meaning SpaceX has begun chilling down the propellent lines on the tower and launch mount.

About the launch

SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 will debut the new Block 2 upper stage or “ship” spacecraft. The vehicle has upgraded avionics and propellant systems compared to the Block 1 vehicle. The ship also has a change to the forward flaps that makes them smaller and further back from the side of the ship. This allows them to be out of the plasma flow during reentry and have simplified heat shielding.

The heat shield is also a significant change. The ship has received upgraded tiles that are less likely to fall off and do a better job of protecting the ship below them. Also, if a tile does fall off, there is an ablative material beneath it that will continue to protect the vehicle.

Starship Flight 7 will be another suborbital flight for SpaceX’s largest rocket. It will serve as another flight data-gathering mission but also has the opportunity to become the first mission to deploy satellites from Starship. Inside the ship’s payload bay are ten dummy Starlink satellites to test the Starship’s deployment system. These will then reenter with the ship over the Indian Ocean.

Conclusion of the mission is expected to take place with a splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean and either a catch at the tower or splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico of the booster. If the catch happens, this will be the second-ever catch of a Starship booster.