SpaceX scheduled the third Starship launch on Thursday, March 14, and here are all of the pre-flight and mission milestones for this test flight 3.
Note: We’ve explained the mission objectives and FAA license details in separate articles linked below.
- FAA approves Third SpaceX Starship flight for March 14
- What is SpaceX aiming to achieve with the third Starship launch?
- How to watch the Third SpaceX Starship Launch Test
Therefore, you can focus on the mission milestones as they goes based on the timeline.
Pre-Flight:
- 1 Hour and 15 minutes before the SpaceX flight director verifies the flight status and allows the propellant load
- 50 minutes before Starship (second stage) continues loading liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane (fuel)
- 40 minutes before Super Heavy (first stage) LOX and fuel load progress
- At 19:40 minutes Raptor begins engine chill on the first and second stage
- At 3:30 minutes, propellant loading for booster will be complete followed by Ship at 2:50 minutes
- At 30 seconds (pre-flight), the flight director will give it a GO or SCRUB the launch
- At 10 seconds in the countdown, the flame deflector activation
- At 3 seconds in the countdown, the first stage will ignite its 33 raptor engine
- 0 seconds, the flight will liftoff from the launch pad
Post Liftoff
This timeline is divided into three sections:
Liftoff and First Stage
- 52+ seconds launch vehicle will achieve MAX Q
- 2:42+ minutes, the first stage will cut engines
- 2:44+ minutes, SpaceX will separate the first and second stages, Second stage will start its engines
- 2:55+ minutes, the first stage will begin to boost burn for the next one minute
- 6:36+ minutes, the first stage will become transonic
- 6:46+ minutes, the first stage will start landing burn
- 7:04+ minutes, SpaceX will stop landing burn when the booster returns to the launch pad at Starbase
Objectives
- 08:35+ minutes, second stage engine cut off
- 11:56+ minutes, the second stage will open the payload door
- 24:31+ minutes, the second stage will perform an in-orbit Propellant transfer demonstration.
- 28:31+ minutes, the second stage will close the payload door
Second Stage and Wrap-up
- 40:46+ minutes, the second stage will relight the raptor engine for an in-space demonstration
- 49:05+ minute, the second stage enters back into Earth’s atmosphere
- 1 hour 3 minutes, the second stage becomes transonic and subsonic within a minute
- At 1 hour 5+- minutes, the Starship spacecraft will splashdown in the Indian Ocean