Starship launch livestream: SpaceX to test its latest rocket today as Musk, Trump expected to watch from sidelines

The sixth test launch of SpaceX’s megarocket Starship is now scheduled for Tuesday, November 19, with a 30-minute launch window opening at 4:00 p.m. CT/5:00 p.m. ET. The rocket is set to lift off from the company’s Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. The broadcast will start roughly a half hour before launch, and you can follow along live on SpaceX’s website and X account.

This sixth test launch comes on the heels of the successful fifth test flight on October 13, which saw an impressive “catch” of the Super Heavy booster back at the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas. It also included a pinpoint splashdown of the Starship vehicle in the Indian Ocean.

The plan for Flight 6 is very similar to Flight 5, with a return of the Super Heavy booster to the landing site, as well as a suborbital Starship flight and descent into the Indian Ocean. Because of this, the FAA did not need to issue a modified launch license for this flight. Instead, approval for Flight 6 was included in the license authorization for Flight 5, though that would have changed had SpaceX modified the flight parameters significantly.

SpaceX is looking at refinements of existing processes for Flight 6, rather than huge new gains. While the booster catch was an awe-inspiring sight, we later learned that SpaceX engineers had been “one second” away from the decision to abort the landing attempt and crash the rocket into the ground instead, as first reported by Reuters. Engineers will want to continue to refine that landing process, as well as test heat shield improvements, according to SpaceX. For the first time since Flight 3, the team will also attempt to reignite a Raptor engine in space.

According to reports, both Elon Musk and Donald Trump are expected to be in attendance at the Flight 6 launch.