How to watch Elon Musk launch SpaceX’s Starship megarocket

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will conduct the sixth test flight of its massive Starship rocket that will one day carry humans to the moon and Mars.

During the mission, the 400-foot-tall spacecraft will be stacked atop the 230-foot-tall Super Heavy booster, which will lift off from Boca Chica, Texas, around 5:30 PM ET, with the launch window closing about 30 minutes later.

While the launch pad area is packed with spectators, viewers at home can watch the launch via a live webcast on the SpaceX page on X and the new X TV app.

After the Starship detaches from the booster, it will reach an altitude between 150 and 230 kilometers above Earth.

The powerful rocket will then begin its return 47 minutes after launch, with the upper stage landing in the Indian Ocean after one hour and five minutes.

Meanwhile, the Super Heavy booster flies back to the launch pad where it is captured by giant mechanical arms nicknamed ‘Chopsticks’.

The launch aims to expand Starship’s booster by testing its heat shield and maneuvering capabilities upon reentry over the Indian Ocean.

Also in the crowd will be newly elected President Donald Trump, who developed a close bond with Musk on the campaign trail and even offered the billionaire a role running the Department of Government Efficiency.

Tuesday’s mission comes just over a month after SpaceX captured a spacecraft with mechanical arms for the first time, underscoring its position as the world leader in reusable rockets.

“It was a beautiful thing to see,” Trump declared in his victory speech on election night, dramatically recounting the achievement.

Elon Musk has been an outspoken supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, who is expected to join the SpaceX CEO on Tuesday’s Starship launch

And today, SpaceX will try to prove that the first catch was no fluke.

Flight six will revisit many of the objectives of flight five, with some updates.

If all goes according to plan, the returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, creating sonic booms as it approaches the launch tower.

There, a pair of enormous mechanical arms will reach out to catch the plane and bring it to a stop, about eight to 10 minutes after takeoff.

Technical goals include reigniting Starship’s Raptor engines for the first time in space and conducting new heat shield experiments in what will be the final flight for the current generation of Starship prototypes.

Musk has touted his current Starship rocket as “more than twice as powerful as the Saturn V Moon rocket” that launched the Apollo 4 mission in 1967.

SpaceX said today’s launch will provide valuable data that will allow the company to continue improving its hardware and software performance, “increase structural strength in key areas and shorten the timeline to remove propellants from the booster following a successful capture.”

Musk stated that “thousands of small design changes have been made [are] is also being tested,” although he did not say specifically what those changes are.

The company plans to crash-land the booster in the Gulf of Mexico, but said the booster’s return to the launch pad will only occur if conditions are right to ensure the safety of the public and the SpaceX team.

If conditions are not ideal, the booster will follow a trajectory that will force it to crash into the Gulf of Mexico.

Flight six will revisit many of the objectives of flight five, with some updates. If all goes according to plan, the returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, creating sonic booms as it approaches the launch tower.

The SpaceX spaceship (pictured) will launch from Texas on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET, where it will remain in orbit for 47 minutes before beginning its descent toward Earth.

Musk, a major donor to Trump’s campaign, has been at his side since the election and played a crucial role in helping select Cabinet members.

After winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump spoke about Musk’s Starship efforts, telling reporters, “He’s a character.” He’s a special guy. He’s a super genius.

‘We must protect our geniuses. We don’t have that many. We have to,” he added.

There is speculation that Trump has appointed him co-chair of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which would allow him to redistribute federal spending.

The appointment has drawn attention to a conflict of interest after the federal government committed to funding SpaceX $4.4 billion to pay for its starship missions to the moon.

Musk’s involvement with DOGE could allow him to obtain billions of dollars in additional federal contracts.

That in turn has raised concerns that Musk will face potential conflicts of interest as he influences government regulators in favor of his six companies, including SpaceX and its flagship project Starship.

Before the fifth flight, SpaceX wrote a lengthy post complaining that “the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the downright absurd,” citing a “redundant environmental analysis” for a launch delay.