SpaceX is aiming to launch its Starship megarocket on a third test flight Thursday that, if successful, could bolster NASA's ambitions to return astronauts to the moon and transform the commercial spaceflight industry. The launch will take place from SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas. Liftoff is expected around 8 a.m. ET, but timing is tentative and the company said on its website that “the schedule is dynamic and likely to change.
A second Starship launch in November achieved several key milestones, including separation of the first-stage booster known as Super Heavy and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft, but the company ultimately lost contact with the vehicle. SpaceX said the third test flight will tackle “a number of ambitious objectives” that build on the lessons learned from the previous outings.