Elon Musk’s SpaceX set for test flight of the most powerful launch vehicle ever built
Just weeks after SpaceX amazed the world with the precise landing of a massive rocket booster, the company is gearing up for another test flight of its most powerful launch vehicle to date. SpaceX plans to repeat the daring maneuver that involves guiding the booster back into the mechanical "chopsticks" of a launch tower for recovery.
Standing nearly 400 feet tall (121 meters), the rocket is scheduled for liftoff as soon as November 19 from SpaceX's Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. The two-stage rocket system consists of the Starship spacecraft mounted atop the Super Heavy booster. Liftoff is set to occur during a 30-minute window starting at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
The event will be streamed live on SpaceX’s X account, though the schedule may shift. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to attend, alongside SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, reflecting Musk's increasing influence within Trump's circle. The mission aligns with NASA’s plans to use Starship as a lunar lander, aiming to place astronauts on the moon as early as 2026. These test flights are critical for SpaceX to refine strategies for recovering and reusing Super Heavy boosters and Starship spacecraft—key steps to cutting the cost and turnaround time of space missions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which oversees commercial rocket launches, confirmed that this flight doesn’t require a lengthy review process since its path closely mirrors a previous test. The FAA stated SpaceX has met all safety, environmental, and licensing requirements for the suborbital flight, and recent updates fall within the scope of prior analyses.
This week’s test builds on the success of Starship’s fifth integrated flight on October 13. That flight gained global attention as SpaceX attempted to maneuver the 232-foot (71-meter) Super Heavy booster back to a massive landing structure after it separated from the Starship spacecraft. In a groundbreaking moment, SpaceX's giant "chopsticks" successfully caught the booster midair. “Starship’s fifth flight test was a pivotal step toward creating a fully and rapidly reusable launch system,” SpaceX said in a statement.