SpaceX Starship V sequence of events (IFT-5)

SpaceX Starship V sequence of events (IFT-5).

IFT-5 Starship progress

IFT-5 Previous Starship missions

SpaceX Starship I sequence of events (IFT-1) (20-04-2023).
SpaceX Starship II sequence of events (IFT-2) (18-11-2023).
SpaceX Starship III sequence of events (IFT-3) (14-03-2024).
SpaceX Starship IV sequence of events (IFT-4) (06-06-2024).
SpaceX Starship V sequence of events (IFT-5) (13-10-2024).

All SpaceX missions

SpaceX Starship all missions.

SpaceX Live streams

SpaceX website (new tab).
SpaceX on X (@SpaceX) (new tab).

IFT-5 Mission

13-10-2024 Starship’s fifth flight test could launch pending regulatory approval.
13:30 CEST Start webcast (30 minutes before liftoff).
14:00 CEST Opening launch window (7:00 a.m. CT).

IFT-5 Scheduled

09-07-2024 Rollout Booster 13 to launch pad at BC.
17-07-2024 See SpaceX Starship progress
23-09-2024 B12 and S30 stack performed a prop test load.
00-10-2024 Launch.

IFT-5 Upgrades

15-07-2024 B12 Upgrades:
- - New flight termination system box designed to enable a quick destruction of the rocket in case an anomaly happens.
  - Four Starlink antenna fittings present.
  - New “Remove before flight” covers for the Raptor boost quick disconnects (QDC).
13-10-2024 Extensive upgrades ahead of this flight test have been made to hardware and software across the booster , Starship, and the launch and catch tower infrastructure at Starbase.
See also SpaceX Starship progress.
See also SpaceX Starship all missions.

IFT-5 Flight objectives

Primary objectives:
- - Return to launch site and catch of the booster.
  - Starship reentry and landing burn, aiming for an on-target splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

IFT-5 Infrastructure objectives

New infrastructure to maximize the chances for success. No compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only be attempted if conditions are right.

IFT-5 Configuration

Super Heavy 12, Booster 12 (B12).
Starship SN30 (S30). No Rator 3 used.

IFT-5 Launch location

Starbase Boca Chica.

IFT-5 Weather

See: Starbase Boca Chica.

IFT-5 Launch windows

Launch location: Boca Chica.
Launch windows opent at 13-10-2024 at 14:00 CEST.
Duration: 1 hour.

IFT-5 Launch window 1 details. Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) USA from 13-10-2024 6.45 am until 8.07 am CT.

Timezone	Go for propellant load (75 mins to Open)	Coverage (30 mins to Open)	Window Open	Window Closed
CDT = CST (CT)	5.45 am	6.30 am	7.00 am	8.00 am
EDT = EST	6.45 am	7.30 am	8.00 am	9.00 am
UTC = GMT (Zulu)	10:45	11:30	12:00	13:00
CET (winter, UTC+1) CEST (summer, UTC+2)	11:45 12:45	12:30 13:30	13:00 14:00	14:00 15:00

IFT-5 Booster catch attempt

Thousands of distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch attempt of the booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a manual command from the mission’s Flight Director (FD). If this command is not sent prior to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with the booster or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the landing zone. Generally, the only impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise with variables like weather and distance from the return site determining the magnitude experienced by observers.

IFT-5 Starship heatshield

One of the key upgrades on Starship ahead of flight was a complete rework of its heatshield, with SpaceX technicians spending more than 12,000 hours replacing the entire thermal protection system with newer-generation tiles, a backup ablative layer, and additional protections between the flap structures. This massive effort, along with updates to the ship’s operations and software for reentry and landing burn, will look to improve upon the previous flight and bring Starship to a soft splashdown at the target area in the Indian Ocean.

IFT-5 Starship landing

Starship will fly a similar trajectory as the previous flight test with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. This flight path does not require a deorbit burn for reentry, maximizing public safety while still providing the opportunity to meet our primary objective of a controlled reentry and soft water landing of Starship.

IFT-5 Last week until start Sequence for liftoff (T-01:15:00)

Latest development at the bottom

08-10-2024 Road closures for flight were posted by Cameron County. They are for the 13-10-2024 2024 from 12:00 am to 2:00 pm.
09-10-2024 Spacex began installing Flight Termination Systems on Ship 30 and Booster 12.
10-10-2024 SpaceX finished installing Flight Termination Systems on Ship 30 and Booster 12.
12-10-2024 Marine Hazard Zones.
12-10-2024 FAA regulatory approval.
12-10-2024 Countdown start 17 hours before opening window.
13-10-2024 Along with the Temporary Flight Restriction for US and Mexico being noticed for 13-10-2024.
13-10-2024 through 19-10-2024 Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) Splashdown
13-10-2024 Notice to Air Mariners
13-10-2024 Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) Mexico
13-10-2024 Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) USA
- - 13-10-2024 6:45 am to 8:07 am CT
  - 14-10-2024 October 2024 6:45 am to 9:37 am CT
  - 15-10-2024 6:45 am to 9:37 am CT
13-10-2024 0:20 am Road closed
13-10-2024 2:04 am Pad clear
13-10-2024 6:35 am Fueling

IFT-5 T-Time

*** Beyond this point all times are indicated in “T-Time” ***

T- = countdown clock.
T-0 (or T-zero) = launch
T+ = mission clock.
Latest development at the bottom of the list

IFT-5 T-01:15:00 Sequence before liftoff

T-hh:mm:ss

17:00:00 Start countdown clock.
01:15:00 SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load.
00:49:50 Ship fuel (liquid methane) load underway.
00:48:40 Ship LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway.
00:40:40 Booster fuel load underway.
00:34:03 Booster LOX load underway.
00:19:40 Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship.
00:06:01 Booster CH4 89%, LOX 86% and Ship CH4 93% and LOX 91%.
00:03:20 Ship propellant load complete.
00:02:50 Booster propellant load complete.
00:00:30 SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch.
00:00:10 Flame deflector activation.
00:00:03 Raptor ignition sequence begins.

IFT-5 T+00:00:00 Sequence after liftoff

T+hh:mm:ss

00:00:03 Liftoff.
00:01:02 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket).
00:02:33 Booster MECO (most engines cut off).
00:02:42 Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation).
00:02:48 Booster boostback burn start.
00:03:41 Booster boostback burn shutdown.
00:03:43 Hot-stage jettison.
00:06:08 Booster is supersonic.
00:06:33 Booster landing burn start.
00:06:56 Booster splashdown if no catch attempt.
00:08:41 SECO
00:45:52 First signs of plasma become visible
00:45:30 Entry start. At 85 km altitude the 4 flaps have the control over the Ship.
00:57:10 Max Q Part 2
01:05:40 Ship landing

IFT-5 Planned trajectory (planned)

IFT-5 Telemetry (actual trajectory profile, table)

Time	Booster	Booster	Booster	Starship	Starship	Starship	Remarks
	engines	Speed	Altitude	Speed	Altitude	engines
	running	(km/h)	(km)	(km/h)	(km)	running
T+00:00:00	0	0	0	0	0	0
T+00:00:30	33	531	2	531	2	0
T+00:01:00	33	1116	9	1116	9	0	Max Q
T+00:01:30	33	1943	20	1943	20	0
T+00:02:00	33	3338	37	3338	37	0
T+00:02:30	33	4997	60	4997	60	0	Most Engines Cutoff MECO
T+00:03:00	3 and 13	3655	81	5531	82	6	Hot staging 00:02:41
T+00:03:30	13	1633	93	6217	99	6
T+00:04:00	0	1862	96	7117	114	6
T+00:04:30	0	2221	90	8215	125	6
T+00:05:00	0	2910	75	9529	134	6
T+00:05:30	0	3755	53	11077	139	6
T+00:06:00	0	4331	21	12922	143	6
T+00:06:30	13 and 3	1221	1	15180	144	6
T+00:07:00	0	0	0	17858	144	6	Booster catch
T+00:07:30				21275	145	6
T+00:08:00				24893	147	3	From 6 to 3
T+00:08:30				26502	150	0	3 engines cut off
T+00:09:00				26488	153	0	Ship in orbit
Coastal
T+00:40:00				26520	146	0
T+00:40:30				26538	142	0
T+00:41:00				26555	139	0
T+00:41:30				26573	135	0
T+00:42:00				26591	131	0
T+00:42:30				26609	127	0
T+00:43:00				26628	123	0
T+00:43:30				26647	119	0
T+00:44:00				26665	115	0	Entry interphase
T+00:44:30				26684	111	0
T+00:45:00				26702	107	0
T+00:45:30				26720	102	0	45:38 first signs of plasma
T+00:46:00				26736	98	0	Nominal entry trajectory
T+00:46:30				26750	94	0
T+00:47:00				26756	90	0	Low drag (3 min.)
T+00:47:30				26745	86	0	At 85 km altitude: 4 flaps in control over attitude ship
T+00:48:00				26705	82	0
T+00:48:30				26616	78	0	8 km/sec, 5 x speed of sound
T+00:49:00				26430	75	0
T+00:49:30				26098	72	0
T+00:50:00				25679	70	0	Peak heating start (10 min.)
T+00:50:30				25157	69	0
T+00:51:00				24618	69	0
T+00:51:30				24114	69	0
T+00:52:00				23668	69	0
T+00:52:30				23288	69	0
T+00:53:00				22903	69	0	Peak heating halfway
T+00:53:30				22518	69	0
T+00:54:00				22104	67	0
T+00:54:30				21614	65	0	Start engine chill
T+00:55:00				21003	63	0
T+00:55:30				20237	61	0
T+00:56:00				19345	60	0
T+00:56:30				18397	59	0
T+00:57:00				17431	58	0	Peak heating end
T+00:57:30				16727	57	0
T+00:58:00				15399	55	0
T+00:58:30				14264	53	0
T+00:59:00				12972	51	0
T+00:59:30				11543	48	0
T+01:00:00				10039	46	0	Flaps heating
T+01:00:30				8508	43	0
T+01:01:00				6895	41	0	Max entry dynamic pressure. Max Q part 2
T+01:01:30				5275	37	0	Slowing down through atmosphere
T+01:02:00				3633	33	0
T+01:02:30				2072	27	0
T+01:03:00				1070	21	0	Mach 2
T+01:03:30				727	15	0	Transonic. Subsonic.
T+01:04:00				556	10	0	Landing flop.
T+01:04:30				445	6	0	Belly flop
T+01:05:00				370	2	0	Landing burn startup at 01:05:23. No Raptors in telemetry.
T+01:05:44				0	0	0	Touchdown (soft landing in ocean)

IFT-5 Evaluation (next weeks)

IFT-5 Full stack positive

Propellant load quick and finished on time.

IFT-5 Full stack negative

FAA only gives approval at the last minute. Is there any doubt about an aspect?

IFT-5 Booster positive

All engines running at liftoff.
Caught for the first time.

IFT-5 Booster negative

Approaches the tower at an angle.
After shutting down the engines, fire remains visible for a long time.
25-10-2025 In an audio, one person, not identified, described an issue with the Super Heavy landing burn where a “misconfigured” parameter meant that spin pressure, presuming in the Raptor engines in the booster, did not increase as expected. “We were one second away from that tripping and telling the rocket to abort and try to crash into the ground next to the tower,” that person said. That scenario would “erroneously tell a healthy rocket to not try that catch.” “We had a whole bunch of new aborts and commit criteria that we tried to doublecheck really well, but, I mean, I think our concern was well-placed, and one of these came very close to biting us,” the person continued. The people on the audio note that there had been discussions of delaying the Flight 5 launch to provide additional time to check those parameters. “We were scared about the fact that we had 100 aborts that were not super-trivial,” one person said. In the audio, the SpaceX officials said they had completed a review the day before of data from Flight 5, comparing it to aborts “and what we need to change on them.”
Another issue discussed in the audio while Musk is playing the video game was a cover on a chine, a vertical structure on the booster, that came off as the vehicle went transonic during its descent. A SpaceX official said in the audio that having chine cover come off was something that they were worried about before launch. “We wouldn’t have predicted the exact right place, but this cover that ripped off was right on top of a bunch of single point failure valves that must work during the landing burn,” that person said. “Thankfully, none of those or the harnessing got damaged, but we ripped this chine cover off over some really critical equipment right as landing burn was starting. We have a plan to address that.

IFT-5 Starship positive

Vertical landing close to the buoy (target).

IFT-5 Starship negative

No images of the Starship landing yet.
The Ship may have exploded just before landing.
It is not yet clear whether the remains can be fished out of the sea and whether large parts are still intact (14-10-2024).
Telemetry shows no activity from the 3 central Raptors as the Ship landed.

Next steps

Footnotes

Internal: funkystuff.org,
Outgoing: Mahler Foundation, NOS,
Keywords: IFT-5, test 5, TF5, SpaceX-5, SpaceX5, SpaceX Starship V sequence of events. IFT-5, test 5, TF5, SpaceX 5, SpaceX V, SpaceX-5, SpaceX5, OTF5, OTF-5.