March 14, 7:00 a.m. CT: Starship's third flight test (opens in new tab)

1. Starship is, by far, the most powerful rocket ever launched. At T-0 its engines thrust with over 7,000 metric tons of force--twice the Saturn V. Imagine bolting together two Saturn Vs side-by-side and launching them--that's how much power will be in tomorrow's launch.

2. Starship is on the critical path for the next US crewed moon landing--the first in more than 50 years. Why did NASA choose to depend on Starship? Of all the proposals, Starship offered the most capability (100 tons delivered to the moon's surface) for the lowest cost (about $3 billion). A less powerful rocket would have been enough for NASA to land 2 astronauts on the moon, but NASA took the long-term view that funding Starship would enable far more ambitious plans for much less money.

3. For this IFT-3 test, Starship will attempt to move cryogenic (super-cold) propellant between two internal tanks while in orbit--something that has never been done before. This test will allow Space X to develop the ability to refuel Starship while in orbit. With orbital refueling, Starship will be able to travel almost anywhere in the solar system.

4. Starship has thermal-protection tiles, like the Space Shuttle. Ultimately they hope that it will be able to survive re-entry and return to its launch pad. If Space X succeeds in re-using Starship for a reasonable cost, it will dramatically reduce the cost of space travel.

Sadly, I'm on the US West Coast, which means I'll have to get up at 5 AM to tune into the launch!

https://time.is/0700_14_Mar_2024_in_CT?Starship%27s_Third_Fl...