Hi, I'm Raf. A few years ago I started making Starship diagrams for the space community, and in 2024 this same community sent me to Texas to watch a launch in person. I still can't believe you did that. That trip was Flight 5, the first time SpaceX ever caught a booster.

Now my wife and I are expecting our first baby in February. Once the baby arrives, we won't travel for a long time. Before that, I want to share the thing I love most with her: watching Starship fly, together. Technically, it will be our baby's first launch too.

Why now: Flight 15 is currently targeted for the last week of October, and SpaceX plans to try catching both the booster and the ship. The last time I showed up, they caught a booster for the first time. This time I'm bringing two more lucky charms, so I like our odds.

The plan: one Starship launch by mid-December, from Starbase or Florida, whichever flies first. Starship is also NASA's Artemis Moon lander, so every flight is a step toward putting people back on the Moon. Dates always slip, so we'll buy our tickets as soon as the launch date firms up, and stay 8–9 days to ride out scrubs. Her visa is approved, her doctor has cleared the trip, and travel insurance has us covered.

The money: the trip costs about $5,500 for both of us. Flights are the biggest part: we can't buy early and cheap, because we have to wait for a firm launch date, and short-notice international tickets are expensive. We're putting in $1,500 ourselves. The goal covers the rest plus fees.

Our promise: if we can't make the trip, because launches get delayed to after mid-December (very unlikely) or we don't raise enough to buy tickets, we refund every donation. Once tickets are bought, the money goes to the trip. Launches slip, and that's what our 8–9 days there are for. If we raise more than we need, the extra goes to the baby's fund.

Thank you for reading. Even a share helps.

*No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.