---
title: "Here’s How to Watch SpaceX’s Epic Starship Launch Today"
description: "After countless delays, SpaceX's eighth Starship prototype is finally on the launch pad getting ready for its first high-altitude Starship test flight."
date: "2020-12-08"
modified: "2020-12-09"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-spacex-starship-launch-live"
categories:
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
  - "the digest"
---

# Here’s How to Watch SpaceX’s Epic Starship Launch Today

![After countless delays, SpaceX's eighth Starship prototype is finally on the launch pad getting ready for its first high-altitude Starship test flight.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/watch-spacex-starship-launch-live.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: SpaceX\</em\>*

## Out on the Pad

After numerous delays, SpaceX's Starship prototype SN8 is finally on the launch pad, where engineers are preparing the massive spacecraft for its first-ever high-altitude test flight.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1336041065879580673

## Livestream

Fortunately, SpaceX will be streaming the event live on YouTube — though it's still unclear when the actual launch will take place.

So far, SpaceX has launched previous prototypes to only 150 meters (roughly 500 feet) on two occasions. Starship prototypes SN5 and SN6 pulled off the feat in [August](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-hops-full-scale-starship-prototype>) and [September](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-hops-starship-prototype-150-meters-second-time>) respectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap-BkkrRg-o

## Belly Flop

If today's flight goes according to plan, we'll see the 165 foot SN8 rocket fire up its three Raptor engines to reach an altitude of just under eight miles, according to the latest filings with the Federal Aviation Administration.

After reaching its apogee, the rocket will plummet back down to Earth using its "belly" to slow its descent. Once close to the ground, it will right itself and fire its thrusters for a smooth landing.

**READ MORE:** [SpaceX confirms Tuesday Starship launch debut will have an official webcast](<https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-sn8-launch-debut-slips-tuesday/>) \[*Teslarati*\]

**More on Starship:** *[Elon Musk “Highly Confident” SpaceX Will Land Humans on Mars Within 6 Years](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-highly-confident-spacex-will-land-humans-on-mars-within-6-years>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)