UPDATE for 8:55 p.m. EDT: SpaceX successfully launches Starship Flight 10 - SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 test flight lifted off on time at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) and performed a fairly smooth 66-minute test flight that successfully deployed 8 satellite simulators, reignited a Raptor engine in space and stressed the Ship vehicle during reentry. It ended with an on target "soft landing" and splashdown. Read our launch wrap story for Starship launch photos and video.
SpaceX is once again poised to the launch of its 10th Starship megarocket, the largest rocket on Earth, and if you're hoping to watch the test flight live, you'll need to know when and where to tune in. For that, space fans, we've got what you need.
The Starship Flight 10 test was scheduled to launch on Sunday evening, Aug. 24 from SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas, but SpaceX called that attempt off due to a ground systems issue. An attempt a day llater on Monday (Aug. 25) was thwarted by bad weather, so the company is now targeting Tuesday (Aug. 26), during a 60-minute window that opens at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT). It will be 6:30 p.m. CDT (local time) at launch time. You'll be able to watch the launch live on this page, courtesy of SpaceX. Follow our Starship Flight 10 live updates for mission coverage.
Starship Flight 10 is the fourth Starship launch of 2025 by SpaceX, but the company hopes it will be the first successful one of the year. Three previous tests, Flight 7, Flight 8 and Flight 9, each failed after liftoff, and another Starship exploded on a test stand in June. NASA has picked Starship to land the agency's Artemis 3 astronauts on the moon by 2027, and SpaceX hopes to use the rocket to eventually send humans to Mars. But before any of that can happen, the company has to iron out the kinks in the massive reusable rocket — it stands about 400 feet (122 meters) tall when fully assembled — and perfect a host of other technologies like in-space rendezvous and refueling, Starship vehicle landing and more. And that's where tests like Flight 10 come in.
What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 launch?
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the launch of its Starship Flight 10 test mission, with liftoff expected at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT). SpaceX does have a one-hour window in which to fly the Flight 10 mission, so it is possible that the company could launch Starship anytime between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EDT (2330-0030 GMT).
According to local road closure alerts around SpaceX's Starbase facility, the company had two backup days from its initial Aug. 24 targets that ran through Aug. 26, if needed. SpaceX has used both days so far.
Related: Read our SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy guide for a detailed look
Starship's Flight 10 launch follows three failed test flights this year, in January, March and May, respectively, and the explosion of a Starship vehicle on the ground in June that led to the loss of the original upper stage vehicle for Flight 10. SpaceX has said it has learned from those failures in the preparations for Sunday's test flight.
Can I watch SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 launch?
Yes, you'll be able to watch SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 test mission launch online. You'll even have your choice of streams to follow.
SpaceX will offer its own Starship launch livestream via the company's X account. It will begin at 6:55 p.m. EDT (2255 GMT), just over 30 minutes before liftoff, and will also stream on SpaceX's Flight 10 mission page and the X TV app.
Space.com will simulcast the SpaceX Flight 10 webcast on this page, as well as our homepage and YouTube channel.
If you're interested in a longer livestream, you may want to consider NASASpaceflight's YouTube livestream, which will begin at about 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) and include live commentary during the prelaunch preparation phase of the flight.
Finally, if you are planning to watch SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 in person, you do have options on where to watch from.
I can say from personal experience that the Cameron County Amphitheater in Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island offers a clear view of SpaceX's Starship launch site from across the water. Traffic in the final hours before launch can be heavy, so plan your travel accordingly. There are also multiple observation points for the public along the shore of nearby Port Isabel as well. SpaceX does not have an official viewing site for the public or media for Starship launches out of Starbase.
How long is SpaceX's Starship Flight 10?
From liftoff to splashdown, SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 mission is expected to last just over one hour, but don't expect to see some of the eye-popping rocket landing visuals we've seen in past Starship flights.
There won't be a "chopsticks" catch of the giant Starship Super Heavy booster on this flight. Instead, SpaceX aims to push the Super Heavy booster with an extreme reentry profile to make an ocean "landing" and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
"The primary test objectives for the booster will be focused on its landing burn and will use unique engine configurations," SpaceX wrote in a mission overview. "One of the three center engines used for the final phase of landing will be intentionally disabled to gather data on the ability for a backup engine from the middle ring to complete a landing burn."
The rocket will then use two center engines for the end of the landing burn over the Gulf, before shutting down and sliding into the sea. That should occur about 6 minutes and 40 seconds into the flight.
TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) | EVENT | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
T-1:15:00 | Flight director polls for fueling | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
T-0:53:00 | Starship liquid methane loading begins | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
T-0:45:20 | Starship liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
T-0:41:37 | Super Heavy liquid methane loading begins | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
T-0:35:52 | Super Heavy liquid oxygen loading begins | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
T-00:19:40 | Super Heavy Raptor engine chilldown | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
T-00:3:20 | Starship fueling complete | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
T-00:2:50 | Super Heavy fueling complete | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
T-00:0:30 | Flight Director GO for launch poll | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
T-00:00:10 | Flame deflector activation | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
T-00:00:03 | Raptor ignition sequence startup | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
T-00:00:00 | Liftoff ("Excitement Guaranteed," SpaceX says) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
TIME (Hr:Min:Sec) | FLIGHT EVENT | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
T+00:02 | Liftoff | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
T+01:02 | Starship/Super Heavy reach Max Q | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
T+02:36 | Super Heavy main engine cutoff | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
T+02:38 | Hot-staging separation/Starship Raptor engine ignition | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
T+02:48 | Super Heavy boostback burn startup | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
T+03:38 | Super Heavy boostback burn engine shutdown | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
T+03:40 | Hot-stage jettison | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
T+06:20 | Super Heavy landing burn startup | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
T+06:40 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown (SPLASHDOWN) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
T+08:57 | Starship engine cutoff | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
T+00:18:27 | Payload deploy demo starts | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
T+00:25:32 | Payload deploy demo complete | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
T+00:37:48 | Starship engine relight demonstration | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
T+00:47:29 | Starship reentry | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
T+01:03:15 | Starship transonic | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
T+1:04:30 | Starship is subsonic | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
T+1:06:14 | Landing flip | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
T+1:06:20 | Landing burn | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
T+1:06:30 | "An exciting landing!" SpaceX says. | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
The bulk of the Flight 10 Starship mission will be performed by the Starship upper stage. As on past flights this year, the vehicle is carrying a set of eight Starlink satellite simulators and will attempt to deploy them in space using its novel "Pez dispenser" deployment system. On Flight 9, the payload door did not open as planned and SpaceX was unable to execute the test.
"The Starship upper stage will again target multiple in-space objectives, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites," SpaceX wrote in its mission overview. "The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon entry. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned."
The Starlink deployment demonstration is expected to occur just over 18 minutes into the flight, with the engine relight to follow just before the 38-minute mark.
SpaceX will also test a number of heat shield tile and stress tests for Starship.
"Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry," SpaceX wrote. "On the sides of the vehicle, functional catch fittings are installed and will test the fittings' thermal and structural performance, along with a section of the tile line receiving a smoothed and tapered edge to address hot spots observed during reentry on Starship's sixth flight test. Starship's reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage's rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure."
About 47 minutes into the flight, Starship Flight 10 should begin its reentry into Earth's atmosphere for a planned "landing" and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. That splashdown is scheduled for about 1 hour and 6 minutes after liftoff.
What if Starship Flight 10 can't launch?
SpaceX originally had two backup days Flight 10 after its Aug. 24 attempt, according to a public advisory from local county officials in the area. Officials with Cameron County, Texas (which incudes Starbase) have said that SpaceX could fly through Aug. 26, if needed. The launch time would likely stay the same, around 7:30 p.m. EDT (0030 GMT, 6:30 p.m. CDT).
"I have ordered the closure of Boca Chica Beach and Hwy 4 for the purpose of protecting Public Health and Safety during SpaceX flight testing activities on August 24, 2025, in the time period between 11:00 a.m. C.S.T. to 10:00 p.m. C.S.T. and in the alternative on August 25, 2025, or August 26, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. C.S.T. to 10:00 p.m. C.S.T., of the same day. Should SpaceX not complete its planned flight-testing activity on August 24, 2025, then SpaceX may use the alternate dates to complete its testing activities," Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. said in a statement.
But whether or not SpaceX is able to get additional backup days if an Aug. 26 launch is not possible, or if the company has to stand down for a time to reset, remains to be seen. A technical issue could push the launch beyond Aug. 26, and SpaceX may need to wait for additional shipments of propellant.
Editor's note: This story, originally posted on Aug. 23, was updated on Aug. 26 to reflect SpaceX's new launch target for Starship Flight 10.
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