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THE ESSENTIALS

  • SpaceX's Starship rocket is scheduled to take off for the first time on Thursday. The firing window will open at 8:28 a.m. local time (13:28 GMT), until 9:30 a.m. The scene of this highly anticipated show is SpaceX's Starbase space base, located in the extreme south of Texas, in the United States.
  • On Monday, a first launch attempt was canceled in the last minutes of the countdown, because of a technical problem. "This is the first flight of a huge, very complex rocket," SpaceX boss Elon Musk said Sunday, calling the test "very risky."
  • Only the second stage of the vehicle, the Starship spacecraft that gives its name to the entire rocket, has carried out suborbital tests (at about 10 km altitude). It is he who was chosen by NASA to become, in a modified version, the lander of the Artemis 3 mission, which is to bring astronauts back to the lunar surface for the first time in more than half a century, officially in 2025.

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17:00 pm: It's the end of the live

Thank you for following this test launch of SpaceX's Starship rocket with us. After a successful takeoff, despite several engines visibly off, the rocket flew a few minutes before making several turns on itself and exploding, when the two stages did not separate. It is still a success in the eyes of Elon Musk, who simply hoped that the rocket would come out of the launch pad.

16:44 pm: The head of NASA welcomes the test

NASA boss Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX. "Any great achievement in history has required a certain level of calculated risk," he tweeted, saying he was "looking forward" to the next test.

16:15 p.m.: Lack of separation

The exact cause of the Starship explosion is not yet known. According to the flight plan, Super Heavy was to break away after three minutes to fall back into the Gulf of Mexico. But the separation didn't happen, and that's when the rocket was seen rotating on itself before exploding.

16:06 pm: Elon Musk promises a new flight "in a few months"

"Congratulations to the @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! I learned a lot for the next test launch in a few months," tweeted the boss of SpaceX.


Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!

Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months. pic.twitter.com/gswdFut1dK

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023

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16:04 pm: Relive take-off

If you weren't live, the video of Starship's takeoff is right here.


🚀🌟 Take-off of #Starship! A historic moment for space exploration, an incredible technological feat #StarshipLaunch

🎥 @SpaceX pic.twitter.com/Y5Ap3EUZsI 🌌

— briefstory (@briefstory) April 20, 2023

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15:57 pm: "Test, learn and try again"

British astronaut Tim Peake sent his "congratulations" to SpaceX for "coming out of the launch pad". "Space is hard," he added after the rocket exploded. "Test, learn and try again."


Congratulations @SpaceX #Starship_launch on making it off the launchpad. A shame about the 'Rapid Unscheduled Departure' but space is hard. Test, learn & try again. pic.twitter.com/Bhiv2IxQHx

— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) April 20, 2023

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15:48 pm: Not a failure

Well, according to the elements we gave earlier, this explosion is not necessarily a failure for SpaceX. The take-off went well, which is quite a success, and the launch pad is intact.

15:43 p.m.: SpaceX has returned the antenna

After talking about an "unexpected disassembly" and keeping face.

15:40 P.M.: SO NO, IT EXPLODED

15:38 pm: Big cloud of smoke in the sky

But given the party at Starbase, it's good news. No?

15:37 pm: So I admit that in the image we have the impression that the rocket is barring in all directions

It is either an optical effect or a balloon. Either there is a problem.

15:36 pm: Big tension before the separation of the two floors

15:35 pm: The rocket is approaching 900km/h

And all is well.

15:34 pm: The thrust is nominal, as the other would say

15:33 pm: FEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU


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via GIPHY


15h33 : 20 SECONDES AVANT DECOLLAGE

15h31 : Il faut régler un petit problème de pressurisation d'un réacteur

15h29 : La fenêtre de tir est ouverte, maintenant on attend le décompte

15h26 : Tous les feux sont au vert pour le moment

15h23 : Décollage moins 5 minutes

C'est déjà la fête dans les locaux de SpaceX !

15h20 : Du monde au premier rang

Les spectateurs sont nombreux près de la base spatiale Starbase pour assister au décollage de Starship.


Yes, there’s a rocket out there. SpaceX webcast is firing up so here’s hoping … 🚀 pic.twitter.com/SmkBFl2b9O

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 20, 2023

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15:14 pm: Already customers for Starship

Who says private rocket, says private customers. Starship will not only carry professional astronauts: Starship's first crewed flight is to be made with American billionaire Jared Isaacman. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, and American Dennis Tito (the first space tourist in history), have also said they want to embark on a trip around the moon.

15:08 pm: Are private rockets cool or not?

Space X has been around for more than 20 years. So on the occasion of the maiden flight of Starship, 20 Minutes asked itself the question: does the privatization of launchers keep its promises? Between falling costs, space tourism and research funding, former astronaut Jean-François Clervoy helped us to see more clearly.



15:03 p.m.: Fuel filling operations have begun

In the early morning (it is 8 a.m. in Texas), the operations of filling the rocket's tanks with its cryogenic fuel: oxygen and liquid methane, began. SpaceX said it was "keeping an eye" on the weather.

15:00: Take-off minus 28 minutes

14:52 pm: Super Heavy, the ultimate push

The first stage of the rocket, with a height of 69 meters, offers a take-off mass of 3,600 tons. With its 33 Raptor engines, it must obtain a thrust of 76 MN. This is the part that "worries" Elon Musk and SpaceX engineers the most: that an engine explodes and drags the rest of the rocket with it, but also that the power of the combined engines "melts" the launch pad. "It would probably take several months to rebuild the launch pad if we melt it," says Elon Musk. In the future, the new rocket must be fully reusable. Super Heavy will have to return to land against his launch tower, equipped with arms to catch him.


14:45 pm: Flight plan

The flight plan for the new test is as follows: about three minutes after liftoff, Super Heavy (the powerful first stage) must detach and fall back into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship must then ignite its six engines and continue its ascent alone, up to about 150 km altitude. After circling the Earth for about an hour, it must fall back into the Pacific Ocean. But this is the "best scenario", said SpaceX, as the outcome of the test flight is uncertain.

14:38 pm: Sky of Fire

For rocket lovers, here is enough to renew the wallpapers of your smartphones. At the editor', it leans mainly towards the right-wing one.


Starship at sunset pic.twitter.com/X7FZE8A20G

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023

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14:35 pm: Second attempt

Today's liftoff is the second attempt to send Starship into space. On Monday, a first launch attempt was canceled in the last minutes of the countdown, because of a technical problem. "A valve seems to be frozen," tweeted Elon Musk, the boss of SpaceX, before the postponement was officially announced, less than 10 minutes before the scheduled takeoff time. "We learned a lot today," he said.

14:32 pm: How to watch the launch?

We will continue to raise the hype, share all the information and comment a little on the flight here, but if you want to see the rocket take off, we have some addresses for you. To be found below.



14:28 pm: Come on, let's get started!

We wriggle so much impatience that we are early.

11:19 am: Hello and welcome to this live

Hello! Follow with us from 14:30 pm the take-off of the SpaceShip rocket which should take place around 15:30 pm, French time. This is the first launch of the world's largest rocket, originally scheduled for Monday, but postponed due to a technical problem.

  • Tech/web
  • Sciences
  • SpaceX
  • Space
  • Rocket
  • Elon Musk
  • Starship