SpaceX Launch Live Today: How to Watch Falcon 9 Liftoff, Mission Details & Full Schedule

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket is set to ignite the South Texas sky tonight, opening a pivotal 60-minute launch window at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. local, 23:30 UTC) from Pad A at Starbase near Boca Chica Village. If the countdown proceeds smoothly, Flight 9 will mark the most ambitious test yet for the fully reusable, 394-foot-tall launch system that Elon Musk says will one day ferry humans to the Moon and Mars. Why this launch matters • Proof of upgrades: Engineers introduced 63 design and software changes after the fiery losses of Flights 7 and 8, including reinforced heat-shield tiles, a new vent-relief system and tweaked Raptor engine throttling profiles. • Full-stack goals: SpaceX aims to separate the 33-engine Super Heavy booster at T+2:45, perform a boost-back burn and soft-splash it in the Gulf, while the upper stage targets a partial orbit and controlled descent toward the Pacific. • Regulatory hurdle cleared: The FAA signed off late Friday, citing “no significant environmental impact.” How to watch the SpaceX launch live • X (formerly Twitter): @SpaceX will begin its official webcast about 30 minutes before liftoff. • YouTube simulcasts: NASA Spaceflight, Everyday Astronaut and other channels will stream multi-angle coverage and real-time telemetry. • In-person viewing: South Padre Island’s Isla Blanca Park and Port Isabel’s Lighthouse Pier remain the closest public spots; local authorities advise arriving six hours early to beat road closures. Launch timeline (all times ET) 7:30 p.m. — Window opens / ignition of all 33 Raptors 7:33 p.m. — Max Q (peak aerodynamic stress) 7:35 p.m. — Stage separation & boost-back 7:38 p.m. — Super Heavy landing burn 8:06 p.m. — Starship engine cutoff, near-orbital insertion ~8:40 p.m. — Re-entry and Pacific splashdown west of Hawaii Weather & probability of liftoff The 45th Weather Squadron predicts 80 % “go” conditions: light onshore winds, 5 % chance of violation for triggered lightning and anvil clouds. SEO tip sheet — key phrases readers are searching today • “What time is the SpaceX launch tonight?” • “How to watch Starship Flight 9 live stream” • “SpaceX launch schedule May 27 2025” • “Starship test flight objectives” • “Will Starship land this time?” Broader context Earlier this morning, a routine Falcon 9 thundered away from Vandenberg Space Force Base, deploying 24 more Starlink satellites and extending the constellation beyond 6,600 operational units. Tonight’s Starship mission, by contrast, is pure R&D—but its success would unlock multi-payload launches that could carry up to 150 metric tons at once, slashing per-kilogram costs and reshaping everything from lunar landers to deep-space probes. What’s next If Flight 9 achieves at least partial success—clearing the tower, safe stage separation and data on heat-shield performance—SpaceX plans to request approval for Flight 10 as early as August, potentially with a demonstration payload for NASA’s Artemis program. Fail or fly, the lessons from tonight will ripple across the entire launch industry, tightening the race toward fully reusable super-heavy lift. Stay tuned here for real-time updates, analysis and the first images of Starship blazing a copper trail over the Gulf Coast sky.