How to watch the first-ever orbital launch of the SpaceX Starship with the world's most powerful Super Heavy rocket

We are hours away from the first-ever launch of the Starship rocket system. SpaceX received its licence last week and is now ready to begin a series of tests on the rocket and spacecraft.

Here's What We Know

A 150-minute launch window will open at 09:00 (EDT) or 06:00 (PDT) on 17 April. SpaceX will broadcast live from the Starbase launch pad in Texas. The live broadcast begins at 09:15 (EDT) or 06:15 (PDT).

The Super Heavy launcher is equipped with 33 Raptor engines and acts as the first stage. The prototype being used as part of the test flight is called Booster 7.

The 120-metre rocket carries the Starship spacecraft, the prototype of which is called Ship 24. It is equipped with six engines. The total thrust is 7,500 tonnes, 3,500 tonnes more than the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is still the most powerful in the world.

The first test is expected to last 90 minutes. Booster 7 will return to Earth half an hour after launch and land in the Gulf of Mexico. Ship 24 will make an incomplete turn and land near Hawaii. During the flight the ship will reach speeds of 28 160 km/h.

Starship will be used in the lunar mission Artemis III and will land on the moon at the end of 2025 with astronauts on board. SpaceX plans to take people and cargo to Mars in the future. The ship will also be used to place large second-generation Starlink satellites into orbit.

Source: SpaceX