Forecast clear for SpaceX’s Starship test flight from Texas with hopeful splashdown off Hawaii
Fans who have traveled to South Padre Island to witness history will have comfortable temperatures with some cloud cover to contend with, but not enough to block the view of the gleaming Starship during liftoff.
SpaceX successfully launches Starship rocket
SpaceX successfully launched their Starship rocket on Thursday, the most powerful rocket ever built.
BOCA CHICA, Texas – The forecast looks favorable in South Texas as SpaceX prepares for its second launch attempt of the reusable Starship spaceship.
SpaceX said the 20-minute launch opens Saturday at 7 a.m. CT.
Fans who have traveled to the area near South Padre Island will have comfortable temperatures in the mid-60s with some cloud cover to contend with, but not enough to block the view of the gleaming Starship during liftoff.
SPACEX DELAYS SECOND STARSHIP LAUNCH TO SATURDAY
Winds during the short launch window are forecast to remain calm at around 5 mph with partial cloud cover.
Starship launch forecast for Saturday.
If the launch scrubs, SpaceX also has an additional launch opportunity Sunday morning, according to a road closure notice for Highway 4 in Cameron County, Texas. Winds are forecast to pick up at the launch site Sunday.
SPACEX'S STARSHIP EXPLODES MID-FLIGHT AFTER LAUNCH 'SUCCESS' OF MOST POWERFUL ROCKET EVER BUILT
A person looks on as SpaceX's huge Super Heavy-Starship is unstacked from the booster as it sits on the launchpad at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on November 16, 2023, ahead of its second test flight posponed to November 18. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 15, 2023 authorized SpaceX to carry out its second launch of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, after a first attempt in April ended in a spectacular explosion. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
If SpaceX hits all the milestones the company has laid out for this test flight, Starship will launch from Texas, fly around the Earth and land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii about 1.5 hours after liftoff.
After Starship separates from the Super Heavy booster, the booster will land in the Gulf of Mexico about 7 minutes post-launch.
Meanwhile, Starship will take an eastern trajectory from Texas before coming down for a splashdown in the southeast Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii.
Forecast wave height off the coast of Hawaii on Saturday.
(FOX Weather)
SpaceX promises "an exciting landing." If Starship survives the splashdown, SpaceX will collect it in the Pacific Ocean.
For recovery crews, seas are forecast to be relatively calm during the expected splashdown around 9:30 a.m. ET or 4:30 a.m. local time in Hawaii.
Wind forecast off the coast of Hawaii on Saturday.
(FOX Weather)