Watch SpaceX 1st ever attempt to Launch Starship SN8 LIVE to 12.5 km and then belly flop back down to earth.

SpaceX will be attempting a 12.5-kilometer hop with their Starship SN8 prototype vehicle. SN8 will lift off under the power of its three Raptor engines and fly to an altitude of approximately 12.5 km (~41,000 ft). At that altitude, using its body flaps, SN8 will flip to a horizontal position and descend belly-first.

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Just prior to landing, using a combination of its engines and body flaps, SN8 will flip around again to attempt a soft propulsive landing on the landing pad.


As early as Tuesday, December 8, the SpaceX team will make the first attempt of a high-altitude suborbital flight test of Starship serial number 8 (SN8) from our site in Cameron County, Texas. The schedule is dynamic and likely to change, as is the case with all development testing.

This suborbital flight is designed to test a number of objectives, from how the vehicle’s three Raptor engines perform, and the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities of the vehicle, including its body flaps, to how the vehicle manages propellant transition. SN8 will also attempt to perform a landing flip maneuver, which would be a first for a vehicle of this size.

With a test such as this, success is not measured by completion of specific objectives but rather how much we can learn as a whole, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship.

This will be a live feed of the flight test and will start a few minutes prior to liftoff. Stay tuned to our social media channels for updates as we move toward our first high altitude flight test of Starship!

Starship is SpaceX’s next-generation super-heavy launch vehicle. Starship can refer to just the second stage of the vehicle or the entirety of the launch vehicle. Its first stage, known as Super Heavy, will have 28 Raptor engines and will produce approximately 71.2 MN (16 million lbs) of thrust. That will make it more powerful than the Saturn V moon rocket. Starship and Super Heavy will lift off from a launchpad in either Boca Chica, Texas; Cape Canaveral, Florida; or from an offshore launch platform. After main engine cut-off (MECO), Super Heavy will separate from Starship and go back to land near the launch site. Starship will continue on to orbit. Depending on the mission, Starship will either deploy its payload or rendezvous with several “tanker” Starships and refuel before continuing to the Moon or Mars.

Prior to re-entry, Starship will perform a re-entry burn to bleed off enough of its velocity to leave orbit. It will then flip around and re-enter horizontally. Just before landing, Starship will flip around for a second time, performing a “belly-flop maneuver” to orient itself to a vertical position. It will fire its three sea-level Raptor engines and land in a similar way as the Falcon 9 and Super Heavy first stages.

SpaceX will attempt their first 12 km sub-orbital Startship launch from Boca Chica, Texas. According to SpaceX, "The schedule is dynamic and likely to change, as is the case with all development testing." We have all been waiting for this day and it is finally here! Go SpaceX!
SpaceX is attempting to fly Starship SN8 to an altitude of approximately 12.5 kilometers. The launch time is subject to change due to the fluid nature of the testing. The flight should occur sometime between 9 am and 5 pm Central time. Following liftoff, Starship SN8 will attempt a propulsive landing on SpaceX's landing zone located next to the launch pad.

SN8 is the first full Starship prototype made almost entirely of 304L stainless steel. It’s also the first Starship prototype with a nosecone and aerodynamic control surfaces intended for flight.

For the 12.5-kilometer hop, SN8 will lift off under the power of three Raptor engines, shut them off once it reaches the right speed and altitude, and coast the rest of the way to 12.5 kilometers. Once at that altitude, SN8 will use its body flaps and RCS thrusters to reorientate itself to descend belly-first. Prior to landing, SN8 will reorientate to a vertical position using flaps and its Raptor engines then attempt a soft propulsive landing on the landing pad.

SN8 passed cryogenic testing on October 8 and successfully static fired for the first time with three engines on October 20 and a second time with a single engine on November 1

Credit - SPadre, NasaSpaceFlight, Everyday astronaut, bocachica gal, C-Bass Productions

#SpaceX #Starship #SN8