It's not yet clear exactly when the craft will depart the ground, but could happened as soon as Friday afternoon. Officials in Cameron County, where the Boca Chica launch site is located, have issued an order closing a nearby beach and State Highway 4 on Friday, which indicates a launch is imminent.
The video above is from a December test launch.
The launch window runs until approximately 7 p.m.
[Ads /]
Elon Musk's company has been making a series of test efforts over the past several months with a goal to eventually carry people to Mars in as little as six years.
The SN11 launch is expected to be similar to previous flights over Boca Chica near Brownsville.
A rocket test in December ended in a massive explosion after returning to the landing site a bit too fast.
The full-scale, stainless steel model - 160 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter - soared out over the Gulf of Mexico. After about five minutes, it flipped sideways as planned and descended in a free-fall back to the southeastern tip of Texas near the Mexican border. The Raptor engines reignited for braking and the rocket tilted back upright before the dramatic fireball.
The entire flight - as dramatic and flashy as it gets, even by SpaceX standards - lasted just over six minutes and 40 seconds. SpaceX broadcast the sunset demo live on its website; repeated delays over the past week and a last-second engine abort Tuesday heightened the excitement among space fans.
[Ads /]
WATCH: The full SpaceX test launch and crash landing
See SpaceX Starship crash land during test launch
SEE RELATED STORIES:
Vice President Mike Pence reveals 18 NASA astronauts for new moon missions
NASA announces plan to send woman to the moon by 2024