Starship launch: How to watch SpaceX test fly megarocket from Starbase in Texas

SpaceX is moving forward with plans to undergo the latest test flight of its Starship megarocket that will in the years ahead ferry NASA astronauts to the surface of the moon.

The impending launch represents the fifth uncrewed demonstration of the 400-foot behemoth and will follow last-minute approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has grand visions of Starship transporting humans to Mars by 2028, announced his company's intention of targeting a Sunday launch even before getting the go-ahead from the FAA.

Lauded as the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, Starship managed to land successfully in the Indian Ocean in its most recent demonstration in June after its three previous flights ended in explosions. This time around, SpaceX engineers hope to replicate that landing while for the first time returning the Super Heavy booster rocket intact to the launch site.

Here's how to watch the Starship's fifth test flight.

Starship launch:SpaceX says its ready for 5th Starship test

When is the Starship launch?

Starship's fifth flight test is set for a Sunday, Oct. 13, takeoff with a 30-minute launch window opening at 8 a.m. EDT.

While the launch date is later than SpaceX had hoped after Musk said the company was ready back in August, it's also sooner than the November timeframe that the FAA previously anticipated.

As of Thursday, it appeared that preparations for launch were underway at SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica near Brownsville, Texas.

How to watch the Starship launch

SpaceX will host a livestream of the flight test that will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff.

The webcast is available on its website and on social media platform X. Coverage will also be available on SpaceX's on new X TV app.

"As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to our X account for updates," SpaceX said.

What to know about Starship

SpaceX has spent years developing and testing the Starship, which is intended to play an integral role as early as 2026 when U.S. astronauts head back to the moon.

As part of NASA's ambitious Artemis campaign, the space agency's first lunar program since the Apollo era of the 1970s, SpaceX was paid a hefty $2.9 billion sum to develop a spacecraft capable of safely transporting astronauts from orbit to the moon's surface.

In the years ahead, NASA's Artemis program aims to establish a lunar settlement on the south pole. One day, the water ice thought to be abundant in the region could be extracted and used for drinking, breathing and as a source of hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel to make crewed trips to Mars possible – such as the ones Musk is planning as early as 2028.

Starship's first crewed test flight is planned for the third and final mission under the Polaris Program, which SpaceX is funding along with billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman. The inaugural spaceflight last month under the program, Polaris Dawn, included the first-ever commercial spacewalk with the crew aboard a Dragon capsule.

The 165-foot Starship spacecraft, which has so far only undergone uncrewed demonstrations, managed to land in the Indian Ocean during its most recent demonstration in June, while the 232-foot rocket booster landed off the Gulf of Mexico.

While its previous three tests ended in explosions, SpaceX officials say the craft's performance has improved in every demonstration they've conducted with the vehicle. That included its third demonstration in March, when SpaceX said Starship hit several key milestones and conducted a handful of in-flight tests that were a crucial step forward for it to be reliable and functional.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]