SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8 Aims to Deploy Payloads and Master Booster Catch Today: Watch Live

March 06, 2025 – SpaceX enthusiasts and spaceflight fans are gearing up for another thrilling chapter in the Starship saga as the company prepares for the eighth test flight of its massive Starship rocket. After a series of delays, the launch is now set for today, Thursday, March 6, from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. But what time should you tune in to witness this ambitious mission? We’ve got all the details you need to catch it live.

SpaceX is targeting liftoff at 6:30 p.m. EST (5:30 p.m. CST local time, 2330 GMT) for Starship Flight 8, though the company has not specified an exact launch window duration. Based on previous missions like Flight 6, which featured a 30-minute window, the launch could occur anytime between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. EST if a similar timeframe applies. Fans should note that this schedule follows multiple postponements—initially planned for February 28, the launch was pushed to March 3, then March 5, before settling on today due to technical issues and weather concerns. With last-minute scrubs not uncommon for Starship tests, checking SpaceX’s updates closer to the hour is advised.

The live webcast, hosted by SpaceX, is expected to begin approximately 40 minutes before liftoff—around 5:50 p.m. EST (2250 GMT)—offering viewers a detailed look at the pre-launch preparations. You can watch the action unfold on SpaceX’s official website or via streams on platforms like Space.com and YouTube, courtesy of SpaceX’s broadcast team. For those eager to follow every second, SpaceX typically provides real-time commentary and stunning visuals from the launch site and onboard cameras.

Flight 8 promises to be a spectacle, with SpaceX aiming to build on the mixed results of January’s Flight 7. That mission saw the Super Heavy booster successfully caught by the “chopstick” arms of the Mechazilla tower—a feat the company hopes to repeat today with Booster 15. However, the upper-stage Ship exploded mid-flight due to a propellant leak, failing to deploy its mock Starlink satellites. This time, Ship 34 will carry four dummy satellites, aiming to achieve SpaceX’s first payload deployment from Starship, before splashing down in the Indian Ocean about 66 minutes after launch.

The mission’s objectives remain ambitious yet familiar: test upgrades to the Block 2 Starship design, execute an in-space Raptor engine relight, and gather reentry data to refine the vehicle’s heat shield and flight systems. Standing at nearly 400 feet (122 meters), Starship is the world’s tallest and most powerful rocket, designed to be fully reusable and destined to support NASA’s Artemis lunar missions and Elon Musk’s vision of Mars colonization.

Watch Live

Weather at Starbase today looks promising, with forecasts indicating clear skies, a temperature around 70°F, and winds at 21 mph—conditions that should support a launch attempt. However, SpaceX scrubbed Monday’s effort at T-minus 40 seconds due to undisclosed issues with both the booster and Ship stages, prompting a destack and inspection. “Too many question marks” led to the delay, Musk noted on X, emphasizing the team’s cautious approach to ensure readiness.

For viewers worldwide, here’s a quick time zone breakdown: the launch is set for 3:30 p.m. PST, 11:30 p.m. GMT, or 7:48 p.m. IST (as of this writing’s current time in India). If successful, the Super Heavy booster will attempt its third catch in four tries, returning to the tower about seven minutes post-liftoff, while Ship 34’s suborbital journey will conclude off Western Australia.

Don’t miss this chance to see Starship soar—or, as history suggests, possibly face another dramatic twist. Set your clocks, grab your popcorn, and join millions tuning in to watch SpaceX push the boundaries of spaceflight once more. For the latest updates, keep an eye on SpaceX’s social media or their mission page at spacex.com.