...on Monday April 17th 2023 7:00AM Central Time!

The Worlds tallest and most powerful rocket in the world flies from Texas Starbase and reaches Max Q before being terminated over the Gulf of Mexico after losing control of the vehicle April 20th 2023!

Liftoff of SpaceX Starship Test Flight #1 with S24 & B7 just after 8:30 AM April 20th 2023 with nearly 16 million pounds of thrust minus five to seven of the thirty three Raptor engines that flamed out. The rocket reached MaxQ but was terminated and exploded now has a watery Gulf of Mexico grave. Tremendous damage has occurred to the concrete launch pad under the oribital launch platform. Fog was an issue for photographing this launch at ground level. Media cameras just outside and inside the launch pad set to cover this first test flight approved and escorted by SpaceX pubilic affairs office appear to be mostly damaged by a huge "rock tornado" as Elon Musk described when the concrete launch pad came apart in bowling ball to soft ball size of chunks and were ejected 360 degrees around the pad by up to 100 yards away from the rocket.

Starship is a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond. With a test such as this, success is measured by how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship.

To date, the SpaceX team has completed multiple sub-orbital flight tests of Starship’s upper stage from Starbase, successfully demonstrating an unprecedented approach to controlled flight. These flight tests helped validate the vehicle’s design, proving Starship can fly through the subsonic phase of entry before re-lighting its engines and flipping itself to a vertical configuration for landing.

As we venture into new territory, we continue to appreciate all of the support and encouragement we have received from those who share our vision of a future where humanity is out exploring among the stars!

In addition to the testing of Starship’s upper stage, the team has conducted numerous tests of the Super Heavy rocket, which include the increasingly complex static fires that led to a full-duration 31 Raptor engine test – the largest number of simultaneous rocket engine ignitions in history. The team has also constructed the world’s tallest rocket launch and catch tower. At 146 meters, or nearly 500 feet tall, the launch and catch tower is designed to support vehicle integration, launch, and catch of the Super Heavy rocket booster. For the first flight test, the team will not attempt a vertical landing of Starship or a catch of the Super Heavy booster.