SpaceX launched Starship on its first high-altitude flight

MaryLiz Bender

The SN8 Flight Test

On December 9, SpaceX successfully launched Starship SN8 on its first-ever high-altitude flight to 41,000 ft (12.5 km). We used the telescope and high-speed cameras to capture the moment of liftoff and track the rocket through its unbelievable landing process. We are so grateful to the Everyday Astronaut and SPadre crews for collaborating with us to bring you live coverage of this historic moment.

Days prior to launch, the once-sleepy towns of Boca Chica and South Padre Island were suddenly bustling with new activity. Launch photographers and Starship enthusiasts trickled into the campgrounds and nearby hotels. During the day, they sprinkled themselves along the adjacent parking lot and nearby beach to photograph the rocket on its launch stand. Excitement was rising amongst the locals, who sensed something is about to happen, though few seemed to grasp the significance of this experimental test. Indeed, few of us still do.

At the moment of liftoff, I was immersed in screams, tears, laughter. Locals, SpaceX employees, and super fans were uncontained, full of emotion.

Starship SN8 paves the way for the future

Starship is SpaceX’s most ambitious rocket to date—an Interplanetary Transport System built specifically to support their mission to “Make life multi-planetary.” Most Starship fans know it as the Martian rocket ship that will take droves of humans and supplies to Mars, where Elon Musk hopes to build a city of one million people by the year 2050. As SpaceX puts it, this fully-reusable launch vehicle is destined to “carry cargo and humans to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

Soon to become the world’s most powerful rocket, Starship is currently in the prototyping phase as SpaceX rapidly builds and tests iterations in the tiny town of Boca Chica, TX.

Connect with the journey

There are few ways to follow along as we document this historic moment. If you want chat with our community, receive full-resolution image downloads and support our work, join us on Patreon. Or, fuel the mission by shopping our Starship prints.

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A history-making 41,000 ft flight

To date, all previous tests of Starship and Starhopper were merely small hops and static fires, meant to test the new Raptor engines. On December 9, SN8 made history with the first-ever high-altitude flight of a Starship prototype as it lifted itself to 41,000 feet (12.5 kilometers) and attempted to re-land itself through methods the world has never seen. The rocket performed a “belly-flop” maneuver, using its newly-designed body flaps (or “Elonerons”) to guide itself through the atmosphere before flipping vertical just before touch down. This nearly-flawless flight ended in an explosion, as the rocket came in too hot for landing. But, this ending wasn’t entirely surprising. Prior to liftoff, Elon indicated there was a 70% chance of explosion. The real goal was to learn and collect data, then rapidly iterate with SN9, which is already stacked and awaiting its debut.

This historic flight contained a few important firsts: It was the first flight to include three Raptor engines, the first flight with the nose cone and body flaps, and the fist-ever high-altitude flight for the Starship fleet.

Documenting the Starship era

To capture this historic moment, we’ve traveled to Boca Chica, TX—a tiny village nestled on the Gulf of Mexico at the US/Mexico border, surrounded by some of nature’s most stunning scenes. Prior to its flight, Starship stood tall on its pad, overlooking the rolling sand dunes that give way to an expansive beach, and the pristine bay waters that pour in from the Gulf of Mexico.

Each morning and evening, we captured the surreal landscape as the Sun and Moon rose and set behind Starship. Throughout the night, the lights never dim as the tractors growl, trucks beep, and cranes moan while lifting workers to the rocket’s heights. As the surrounding towns rest in slumber, SpaceX workers toil away through the night, changing shifts at daybreak. There is never a pause in the bustle, with shifts covering a 24-hour period. Witnessing the spectacle suddenly makes it clear how the SpaceX teams are able to iterate so quickly from one design to the next.

How to watch future Starship launches

Our friends at Everyday Astronaut, SPadre, and NASASpaceflight live-stream every launch and major Starship event to keep you up to date on what’s happening in Boca Chica, TX.

If you happen to be in the area, you’re guaranteed the most stunningly-clear view of the launch and landing from South Padre Island’s Isla Blanca Park. Due to COVID, they will limit the capacity of the park, so you’ll want to arrive early and be sure to bring cash for the entrance fee of $12.

The Definitive Guide to Starship

Want to know more about this rocket? What makes it so special? What sets it apart from SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy or Falcon 9 rocket? Our friend, Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, has put together the most detailed video on the subject, to date.

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