SpaceX is launching its Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in South Texas today, the first time it’s trying to fly the fully-stacked version of the launch vehicle, meaning the Starship itself is sitting atop the Super Heavy booster that required to reach orbit.
SpaceX has flown the Starship prototype before, but only in the upper stage and only in relatively short hops. The probability of the fully assembled Starship and booster combo reaching orbit is not guaranteed, and in fact, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has previously suggested that the probability of an explosive failure is quite high in this attempt.
Whatever happens, it should be entertaining (as long as the weather is cooperative and there are no technical obstacles). The launch window for today’s attempt is 62 minutes long, opening at 8:28am CT and closing at 9:30am CT.