SpaceX is inching closer to another Starship launch. And its third mission may be its most ambitious yet.

SpaceX 距離另一次星艦發射又更近了一步。它的第三個任務可能是迄今為止最雄心勃勃的。

Rocket launches can be thrilling to watch, but the last two SpaceX Starship launches offered a little more than viewers bargained for: both spaceships exploded after takeoff. Still, the company considered the missions successful, thanks to the data and information it was able to collect. And it's not stopping. SpaceX on Tuesday announced plans to launch its third Starship mission on March 14, pending US regulatory approval. 

火箭發射看起來很激動人心，但 SpaceX 星際飛船的最後兩次發射超出了觀眾的預期：兩艘太空船在起飛後都爆炸了。儘管如此，該公司仍然認為任務是成功的，這要歸功於它能夠收集到的數據和資訊。而且它並沒有停止。 SpaceX 週二宣布計劃於 3 月 14 日發射第三次 Starship 任務，目前正在等待美國監管部門的批准。

The mission will stream live on X, the social media platform owned by SpaceX owner Elon Musk. You'll have to be up early to watch, as the streaming is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. ET, about 30 minutes before scheduled liftoff. In a mission description on its website, however, SpaceX said the mission timing was "likely to change," telling viewers to keep checking back.

此次任務將在 SpaceX 所有者 Elon Musk 旗下的社群媒體平台 X 上進行直播。您必須早起觀看，因為直播預計於東部時間上午 7:30 開始，比預定起飛時間約 30 分鐘。然而，SpaceX 在其網站上的任務描述中表示，任務時間“可能會改變”，並告訴觀眾要繼續查看。

Starship is arguably the most ambitious effort for Musk, who runs the satellite-based internet company Starlink, along with EV maker Tesla, X and the neurotechnology company Neuralink. The Starship missions are critical to SpaceX's -- and Musk's -- goal of getting to and eventually settling the moon and Mars. 

Starship 可以說是馬斯克最雄心勃勃的努力，他與電動車製造商特斯拉、X 和神經技術公司 Neuralink 一起經營衛星網路公司 Starlink。星艦任務對於 SpaceX 和馬斯克實現並最終定居月球和火星的目標至關重要。

Now, as SpaceX looks ahead to this mission, it has much more to accomplish. And with a new flight trajectory and hopes of even greater data insights, the space company's third mission may prove to be its most important yet.

現在，當 SpaceX 展望這項任務時，它還有很多事情要做。憑藉新的飛行軌跡和獲得更多數據洞察的希望，這家航太公司的第三次任務可能被證明是迄今為止最重要的任務。

What to expect from the Starship mission

SpaceX's third Starship mission is designed to test whether the spacecraft can complete certain tasks. After liftoff, the company will attempt to open Starship's payload door and transfer its propellant from one part of the starship to the other. For the first time, SpaceX will also attempt to relight its Raptor engine while in space, a test that could be critical for future missions as it eventually tries to propel Starship through space.

星際飛船任務的預期 SpaceX 的第三次星際飛船任務旨在測試太空船是否能夠完成某些任務。升空後，該公司將嘗試打開星艦的有效載荷門，並將推進劑從星艦的一個部分轉移到另一部分。 SpaceX 還將首次嘗試在太空中重新點燃猛禽發動機，這項測試對於未來的任務可能至關重要，因為它最終會嘗試推動星際飛船穿越太空。

Starship is taking a different flight path this time around, and will attempt to land safely in the Indian Ocean instead of the Pacific Ocean. In a statement, SpaceX said that the new flight path is designed to maximize "public safety," but the company didn't discuss how. 

這次星艦將採取不同的飛行路線，並將嘗試安全降落在印度洋而不是太平洋。 SpaceX 在聲明中表示，新的飛行路線旨在最大限度地提高“公共安全”，但該公司沒有討論如何實現。

The new flight path will also pave the way for SpaceX to try "in-space engine burns," a reference to the company attempting to reignite the Raptor engine in space.

新的飛行路線也將為 SpaceX 嘗試「太空引擎燃燒」鋪平道路，指的是該公司試圖在太空中重新點燃猛禽引擎。

This mission is slated to last for an hour and 15 minutes. Previous missions, if completed, would have lasted 90 minutes.

此次任務預計持續一小時十五分鐘。之前的任務如果完成的話將持續 90 分鐘。

What happened in the previous missions?

April mission: Forced detonation

The first Starship mission launched in April 2023. Early on in the mission, the two stages of the Starship -- the reusable upper stage, called Starship, and its Super Heavy first-stage booster -- were supposed to separate. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and for safety reasons, the SpaceX team was forced to detonate the Starship just 4 minutes into the mission.

先前的任務發生了什麼事？4 月任務：強制爆炸第一個星艦任務於2023 年4 月啟動。在任務早期，星艦的兩個階段－可重複使用的上級，稱為星艦，及其超重型第一級助推器－本來就該分開的。不幸的是，這並沒有發生，出於安全原因，SpaceX 團隊在執行任務僅 4 分鐘後就被迫引爆了星艦。

November mission: Explosion due to liquid oxygen

In November 2023, Starship launched its second mission. That time around, Starship was able to separate its two stages and it reached nominal first-stage engine burn. However, Starship exploded 8 minutes after launch, when it tried to vent its liquid oxygen. Oddly, the explosion may not have needed to happen. Earlier this year, Musk said on a real mission carrying payload -- meaning the materials a spaceship carries to perform its scientific mission -- liquid oxygen wouldn't be onboard.

11 月任務：液態氧爆炸 2023 年 11 月，Starship 啟動了第二次任務。那一次，星際飛船能夠將其兩個階段分開，並達到名義上的第一階段引擎燃燒。然而，星艦在發射後 8 分鐘試圖排出液態氧時會爆炸。奇怪的是，爆炸可能並不需要發生。今年早些時候，馬斯克表示，在一次攜帶有效載荷的真實任務中——即太空船攜帶執行其科學任務的材料——液態氧不會出現在船上。

Third time's the charm?

While both missions technically failed, SpaceX has called them, especially the second mission, successful. And the company cautioned that even if the upcoming third mission goes awry, it's not all bad.

第三次的魅力在於？雖然這兩次任務在技術上都失敗了，但 SpaceX 稱它們，尤其是第二次任務，是成功的。該公司警告說，即使即將到來的第三次任務出現問題，也不全然是壞事。

"Starship's second flight test achieved a number of major milestones and provided invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship," the company wrote on its site. "Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test. They aren't occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning."

該公司在其網站上寫道：“Starship 的第二次飛行測試實現了許多重大里程碑，並為繼續快速開發 Starship 提供了寶貴的數據。” 「每一次飛行測試仍然只是一次測試。它們不是在實驗室或測試台上進行，而是將飛行硬體放入飛行環境中，以最大限度地提高學習效果。”

When will the Starship mission launch?

Starship's third mission is set to launch on March 14 at 8 a.m. ET. However, in order for that to happen, the weather will need to cooperate and there must be no issues with the Starship in the run-up to launch.

Starship 任務何時啟動？Starship 的第三次任務定於美國東部時間 3 月 14 日上午 8 點發射。然而，為了實現這一目標，天氣需要配合，並且星艦在發射前必須沒有任何問題。

Additionally, SpaceX is able to launch Starship only after receiving a Federal Aviation Administration license, which it has yet to receive. That's likely why SpaceX has said that the timing of the launch is "dynamic and likely to change."

此外，SpaceX 只有在獲得美國聯邦航空管理局許可後才能發射星際飛船，但目前該公司尚未獲得該許可。這可能就是為什麼 SpaceX 表示發射時間是「動態的並且可能會改變」。

How to watch Starship mission 3

SpaceX will offer two livestreams for watching the third mission live. 

如何觀看 Starship 任務 3SpaceX 將提供兩個直播來觀看第三次任務的直播。

The first option is the SpaceX third mission landing page, where the SpaceX broadcast team will go live 30 minutes before launch. 

第一個選項是 SpaceX 第三次任務登陸頁面，SpaceX 廣播團隊將在發射前 30 分鐘進行直播。

Not surprisingly, given Musk's involvement in both SpaceX and X, the mission will air live on SpaceX's X account. It will go live 30 minutes before launch.

毫不奇怪，考慮到馬斯克同時參與了 SpaceX 和 X，這次任務將在 SpaceX 的 X 帳號上直播。它將在發布前 30 分鐘上線。