According to Elon Musk, SpaceX will attempt to fly the Starship for the 3rd time from Starbase, Texas in a few hours (around 7:00 AM CT if weather permits).
Starship 28 (S28) and Booster 10 (B10) prototypes are currently stacked at the launch site for the Flight 3 orbital launch aka IFT-3 (Integrated Flight Test 3).
Either coincidentally or intentionally, the Starship IFT-3 launch has fallen on SpaceX’s 22nd foundation anniversary. Elon Musk’s space exploration company was founded on 14th March 2002. I remember those days, as I was learning web design at the time and the SpaceX website was inspirational.
Update: Watch the Live Stream of the Starship Flight 3 and live updates from Starbase
In an earlier tweet, Musk said that the launch might extend to the end of the week because of unfavorable weather conditions. However, a few hours ago he re-posted on X (Twitter) that the launch will be attempted today (14th March 2024).
Simultaneously, I received an email from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) media relations department that the authority has renewed the SpaceX license to carry on with the Starship Flight 3 (IFT-3) attempt. The FAA email stated:
SpaceX applied to modify its existing vehicle operator license for the Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle from its Cameron County, TX site. After completing an evaluation of all applicable Vehicle Operator License requirements, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a modification to the Vehicle Operator License for SpaceX launches of the Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program in Cameron County, TX on March 13, 2024. The modification authorizes the third flight of Starship/Super Heavy.
Since SpaceX has received the final regulatory approval for Starship Flight 3, bad weather remains the only hurdle in the way of the IFT-3 launch attempt.
If the weather conditions are not satisfactory for a launch on 14th March (Thursday), the FAA has given SpaceX backup launch windows for the next 4 days. SpaceX can also attempt a launch on the 15th (Friday), 16th (Saturday), 17th (Sunday), or 18th March (Monday).
SpaceX will livestream the Starship IFT-3 orbital launch from the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) at Starbase, Boca Chica Texas on its website (possibly a YouTube version) and on Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
We will also be adding a live stream page if SpaceX decides to stream it live on YouTube. So, stay tuned for more updates as the historic day unfolds.
Elon Musk has been positive that with thousands of upgrades over Flight 2 Starship, the newer and improved version is likely going to reach orbit.
Stay tuned for future updates on Starship and SpaceX, Follow us on:
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- SpaceX prepares for Flight 12 Starship prelaunch testing, the first V3 Starship 39 (Starbase updates)
 launch from Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas (pics, video, more).){kind=link}