Keeping track of when a Starship Prototype is going to launch is hard. Here, we’ll keep you up to date on the latest launch date and what’s happening with SN9.
| Launch date: | February 2, 2021 |
| Tim’s take: | See it with your own eyes! |
SN9 will perform a 10 km test flight and attempt a propulsive landing in Boca Chica, Texas. To learn more, check out our Prelaunch Preview.
SN9 Updates
T+6:26:
One of SN9’s engines appeared to have an issue and didn’t properly ignite. SN9 was not able to flip correctly and crashed into the landing pad.
T-0:
Liftoff.
February 2 – 20:06 UTC [14:06 CST]:
Vent from methane tank.
February 2 – 19:27 UTC [13:27 CST]:
SN9 is venting. SN9 went into a hold soon after.
February 2 – 19:16 UTC [13:16 CST]:
The methane recondenser is active.
February 2 – 15:39 UTC [11:39 CST]:
The pad is clear.
February 2 – 13:00 UTC [7:00 CST]:
SpaceX has been given FAA approval to launch.
February 2 – 6:00 UTC [00:00 CST]:
Residents have been told to evacuate for a possible flight attempt today.
February 1 – 18:00 UTC [12:00 CST]:
Temporary flight restrictions are posted for February 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. SpaceX is still waiting for FAA approval for a flight.
January 28 – 21:53 UTC [15:53 CST]:
Residents are now free to to return to their homes.
January 28 – 20:52 UTC [14:52 CST]:
Sustained depress vent, indicating an abort.
January 28 – 20:40 UTC [14:40 CST]:
Engine chill has begun
January 28 – 19:40 UTC [13:40 CST]:
The tank farm is active and SN9 is venting.
January 28 – 17:39 UTC [11:39 CST]:
The pad is now clear
January 28 – 16:52 UTC [10:52 CST]:
SN9’s flaps are being tested.
January 28 – 15:00 UTC [9:00 CST]:
Things are progressing well towards a flight attempt today. The village residents have been evacuated and teams are working on final vehicle preparations.
January 25 – 20:00 UTC [14:00 CST]:
Today’s TFR has been cancelled, making a flight today impossible.
January 25 – 17:00 UTC [11:00 CST]:
SN9 has passed its flight readiness review (FRR) and is go for launch.
January 24 – ~1:30 UTC [January 23 – 19:30 CST]:
Road closures, temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), and marine notices are now all in place ahead of a potential flight tomorrow.
[Static fire] January 22 – 15:00 UTC [9:00 CST]:
SN9 has static fired.
[Static fire] January 22 – 00:33 UTC [January 21 – 18:33 CST]:
Residents have received a notice of a static fire tomorrow.
[Static fire] January 21 – 22:45 UTC [16:36 CST]:
SN9 may have just static fired for a very short period of time. It may not have been nominal.
[Static fire] January 21 – 22:36 UTC [16:36 CST]:
Engine chill has begun and the ten minute siren has sounded.
[Static fire] January 21 – 22:20 UTC [16:20 CST]:
The methane recondenser is active.
[Static fire] January 21 – 21:15 UTC [15:15 CST]:
The pad is clear and the road is closed ahead of another static fire attempt.
[Static fire] January 21 – 2:01 UTC [January 20 – 20:01 CST]:
Residents have received a notice of a static fire tomorrow.
[Static fire] January 20 – 23:49 UTC [17:49 CST]:
SN9 has aborted its static fire attempt. Testing is over for today.
[Static fire] January 20 – 23:38 UTC [17:38 CST]:
SN9 has recycled for another attempt and engine chill has begun.
[Static fire] January 20 – 21:40 UTC [15:40 CST]:
Sustained double vents, indicating an abort.
[Static fire] January 20 – 21:31 UTC [15:31 CST]:
Engine chill has begun.
[Static fire] January 20 – 20:25 UTC [14:25 CST]:
The tank farm is active.
[Static fire] January 20 – 18:30 UTC [12:30 CST]:
The road is closed to non-SpaceX vehicles. The pad is now clear.
[Static fire] January 19 – ~19:00 UTC [13:00 CST]:
Tomorrow’s [January 20] flight TFR has been removed and residents have been given a notice of a static fire tomorrow. This pushed the static fire to NET January 20 and the flight to NET January 21.
[Static fire] January 19 – 1:12 UTC [January 18 – 19:12 CST]:
Residents have been given a notice of a static fire tomorrow.
[Static fire] January 18 – ~19:00 UTC [13:00 CST]:
Today’s road closure has been cancelled. The static fire is now scheduled for tomorrow.
January 17 – ~23:30 UTC [17:30 CST]:
Static fire noticed handed out to residents. Expecting a 3 engine static fire tomorrow.
January 16 – ~00:40 UTC [18:40 CST]:
A new Raptor engine has arrived at the launch site.
January 15 – 18:36 UTC [12:36 CST]:
Raptor SN44 has been removed from SN9. It was moved to the production site several hours later.
January 15 – 5:41 UTC [January 14 – 22:00 CST]:
Two out of SN9’s three Raptor engines will need to be replaced. Another static fire is required.
January 15 – ~4:00 UTC [January 14 – 22:00 CST]:
SN9’s apogee has been reduced from 12.5km to 10km.
[Static fire] January 13 – 23:17 UTC [17:17 CST]:
The road is open.
[Static fire] January 13 – 22:07 UTC [16:07 CST]:
SN9 is detanking. Testing is over with for today.
[Static fire] January 13 – 21:38 UTC [15:38 CST]:
SN9 has static fired for a third time today.
[Static fire] January 13 – 21:25 UTC [15:25 CST]:
Engine chill has begun.
[Static fire] January 13 – 21:21 UTC [15:21 CST]:
The methane tank is venting, indicating fueling has begun.
[Static fire] January 13 – 21:03 UTC [15:05 CST]:
The methane recondenser is on ahead of a third static fire.
[Static fire] January 13 – 20:23 UTC [14:23 CST]:
SN9 has static fired for a second time today. A third static fire is possible.
[Static fire] January 13 – 20:11 UTC [14:11 CST]:
Engine chill has begun. The ten minute siren has sounded.
[Static fire] January 13 – 20:07 UTC [14:07 CST]:
SN9’s methane tank is venting and there is condensation under the skirt. Fueling is underway.
[Static fire] January 13 – 19:49 UTC [13:49 CST]:
The methane recondenser is on and tank farm activity is picking up.
[Static fire] January 13 – 19:04 UTC [13:04 CST]:
SN9 is venting.
[Static fire] January 13 – 19:02 UTC [13:02 CST]:
SN9 is still fueled and there is still tank farm activity. Another static fire is planned for today.
[Static fire] January 13 – 18:28 UTC [12:28 CST]:
SN9 has static fired.
[Static fire] January 13 – 18:12 UTC [12:12 CST]:
SN9 is venting and engine chill has begun.
[Static fire] January 13 – 18:00 UTC [12:00 CST]:
Tank farm activity has started.
[Static fire] January 13 – 17:00 UTC [11:00 CST]:
The road is closed and the pad is clear.
[Static fire] January 13 – 4:41 UTC [January 12 – 22:41 CST]:
The static fire is now scheduled for tomorrow [January 13].
[Static fire] January 13 – 2:06 UTC [January 12 – 20:06 CST]:
Large sustained double depress vent; this is an abort. Testing is done for today.
[Static fire] January 13 – 1:53 UTC [January 12 – 19:53 CST]:
Engine chill has begun. This usually happens at around T-12 minutes.
[Static fire] January 13 – 1:21 UTC [January 12 – 19:21 CST]:
Sustained double vent from liquid oxygen tank; likely an abort. There is still a chance of a static fire occurring today.
[Static fire] January 13 – 1:06 UTC [January 12 – 19:06 CST]:
Condensation is coming from under SN9’s skirt, indicating fueling has begun.
[Live stream]:
Everyday Astronaut is live ahead of SN9’s three engine static fire.
[Static fire] January 13 – 00:30 UTC [January 12 – 18:30 CST]:
Tank farm activity is picking up, indicating fueling activities have begun.
[Static fire] January 12 – 23:30 UTC [17:30 CST]:
The pad is clear.
[Static fire] January 12 – 22:30 UTC [16:30 CST]:
The road closures have been extended until 20:00 local. The road is closed and pad is being cleared.
[Static fire] January 12 – 18:47 UTC [12:50 CST]:
Static fire preparations are allowed to continue. Road closure ends at 17:00 local, but this can be extended.
[Static fire] January 12 – 17:47 UTC [11:47 CST]:
All static fire preparations have been halted due to high winds. Static fire still possible later in the window, but vehicle is not currently ready.
[Static fire] January 11 – 00:59 UTC [18:59 CST]:
A notice has been given to Boca Chica residents indicating a static fire is scheduled for tomorrow [January 12].
[Static fire] January 10 – 22:09 UTC [16:09 CST]:
A notice has been given out to Boca Chica residents. This indicates a static fire is scheduled for tomorrow [January 11]. The static fire is later scrubbed due to bad weather.
[Static fire] January 8 – 23:58 UTC [17:58 CST]:
Vehicles have returned to the pad and the road has reopened. Testing is over for today.
[Static fire] January 8 – ~23:30 UTC [17:30 CST]:
The pad is clear again.
[Static fire] January 8 – 22:40 UTC [16:40 CST]:
SpaceX vehicles have returned to the pad.
[Static fire] January 8 – 22:00 UTC [16:00 CST]:
Sustained vents from liquid oxygen and methane tanks. This is likely an abort.
[Static fire] January 8 – 21:25 UTC [15:25 CST]:
Propellent loading has begun.
[Static fire] January 8 – 21:00 UTC [15:00 CST]:
Tank farm venting begins.
[Static fire] January 8 – 16:32 UTC [10:32 CST]:
The road is closed and the pad is clear ahead of a static fire attempt.
January 8 – 00:57 UTC [January 7 – 18:57 CST]:
Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) for tomorrow [January 8] and Saturday [January 9] have been removed from the FAA’s site and new TFRs were added for Monday [January 11] and Tuesday [January 12]. This means the flight will occur NET January 10th.
January 8 – 00:09 UTC [January 7 – 18:09 CST]:
Boca Chica residents received a notice indicating a static fire is scheduled for tomorrow [January 8].
January 7 – 22:48 UTC [14:57 CST]:
Today’s road closure was cancelled, meaning there will not be any sort of testing today [January 7].
January 7 – 17:57 UTC [15:57 CST]:
The static fire that was planned for today is likely delayed until tomorrow [January 8].
January 7 – ~15:00 UTC [13:00 CST]:
A new road closure was published, possibly for a second static fire. The closure begins at 17:00 CST and ends at 20:00 CST.
January 7 – 00:01-00:33 UTC [January 6, 18:07-18:33 CST]:
The Starship prototype recycles for what may have been a wet dress rehearsal. A few minutes later we see a large depress vent from SN9, indicating the end of the wet dress rehearsal.
January 6 – 22:07 UTC [16:07 CST]:
SN9 performed a short three engine static fire. Whether or not it was successful is unknown.