Watch: SpaceX Blasts Off Starship Rocket on Third Test Flight | WSJ News

5,4,3,2,1. 30 seconds into flight, we are feeling the rumble. We are seeing 33 out of 33 raptor engines ignited on the super heavy booster booster and ship avionics power and telemetry nominal acquisition of Corpus Christi continuing to get good call outs. Our trajectory looking nominal systems looking nominal, just amazing to see all 33 lit up. Once again at this point, we’ve already passed through max Q that maximum dynamic pressure and passing supersonic. So we’re now moving faster than the speed of sound, getting those on board views from the ship cameras. Now the the next major milestone is going to be a hot staging maneuver again. We’re going to be doing that in just about 90 seconds to do that. We’re going to shut down all but the three center raptor engines on super heavy that will be our most engines cut off and then the clamps holding the two stages together are going to release starship. Second stage will ignite its engines. The arvas first, the sea levels right after that, the sea level engines will be displayed or just kind of pointed out at about a 15 degree angle. So if you look close and we get good tracking, you might be able to see those center right after. And so those six engines will push starship off of the booster. All right. Counting down. Now we’re gonna be coming up right at around the three minute mark on that hot staging maneuver. Again, we’ll see the booster engines start to shut down. You’ll see all but three lights go out in the middle and then we’ll see the engines ignite on ship, pushing it away and that will start carrying the ship into space. Booster will start to do its flip and then move into the boot back burn, setting it up, eventually splash down in the Gulf of Mexico that set it pot staging confirmed is now making its way back, seeing six engines ignited on ship Kate, we got a starship on its way to space and a booster on the way back to the Gulf. Oh man, I need a moment to pick my jaw up from the floor because these views are just stunning. These are live views from starship. First stage is currently performing no good there news informing us that the second stage of the ship, everything looking good. Nominal there. First stage is currently performing the boost back burn expecting that to last about one minute. That boot back burn. That boot back burn propels the booster back towards the coast, taking it to a landing in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Uh We’re only using the super heavy boosters, 13 center engines from here on out. Uh, as whenever they relight, you’ll be able to see that in the left bottom corner. Uh Those are the ones that can gimbal. In other words, they move and change direction in order to change the thrust to steer the first stage back to earth. Wow, these are just incredible views coming to us. Everything is looking good for both the first stage on the left hand side of your screen or the super heavy booster as well as on the right hand side of your screen. That is starship or we also refer to that as the ship. Now, the boot back burn was the first of two burns required to return it to earth. The next one will be the landing burn where all 13 center engines will initially ignite and then transition into a three engine burn to help slow it down. Just as a reminder of the stage one test objectives. We’re looking for a controlled ascent which we have so far stage separation which gorgeous we cruised right through it as well as a nominal trajectory. Good news there telling us that the path that starship is on is good. Now starships second stage is still firing its engines and as you heard following planned flight paths, the ship objectives, we’re looking for hot staging again, cruised right through that, we’re looking to demonstrate controlled ascent as well as now the bottom right hand corner of the screen shows the ship uh engine graphics. So be sure to keep an eye on those. Yeah, Kate, like this is just a phenomenal test so far. Super heavy is performing beautifully today. It’s on its return leg of the journey ship continuing to burn its six engines. Those larger circles, the raptor vacuum engines, the inner circles the Raptor Sea level engines, we a about 30 seconds away uh just about 30 seconds away from the start of the beast back burn. Uh Excuse me, the landing burn on the booster. You can see the grid fins rotating those pepper. So grid fins are guiding us through the atmosphere back towards our splashdown site. Again, we’re going for a hard uh for a splash down, a soft splash down. So for landing burn, we’re gonna expect to see the 13 center engines light rapidly bring down the boosters velocity and then just the three in the center, right flash down. Let’s see if that’ll work. We’re getting a few, a few engines and acquisition of signal. Let’s see if we can get some other video of that. Now, uh this is a test objective today, it is still something that we’re attempting to learn. Um And to make it that far to demonstrate the controlled reentry up to that point is pretty darn good ship. Continuing to look nominal with its ascent burn. This burn lasting, uh about six minutes total. And we’re expecting that this burn will end, uh, just after T plus eight minutes, about a minute from now. So far though, I mean, congrats to the team making it this far is farther that we, that we’ve gone on flight two. Just wonderful views and great engine performance from the vehicles.