• SpaceX’s Starship explodes during the ninth test flight, which faced booster failure and upper stage problems, delaying the rocket’s development progress.
• The booster’s steep descent aimed to save fuel but ended in a catastrophic engine failure during splashdown.
• Starship’s upper stage failed to deploy satellites and restart its engine due to a propellant leak causing a dangerous spin.

SpaceX launched its ninth Super Heavy-Starship test flight from Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday evening. The huge rocket lifted off at 7:37 p.m. EDT with great force. The Super Heavy booster, powered by 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines, pushed the Starship upper stage into the sky as planned. The booster aimed to test a new, steeper descent method designed to save fuel and handle more stress during return. Unfortunately, when the booster’s engines reignited for a controlled splashdown near the Texas Gulf Coast, the booster suffered a catastrophic failure. SpaceX confirmed the loss of the booster but expected such risks during these tough tests. Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage separated normally and climbed toward its planned suborbital trajectory, powered by six Raptor engines working flawlessly.

Starship Reaches Suborbital Flight But Fails to Deploy Satellites and Restart Engine

After separation, the Starship upper stage headed toward a vertical splashdown in the southern Indian Ocean. SpaceX planned to test a new deployment system designed to release simulated Starlink satellites through a small door on the rocket’s side. Unfortunately, this door failed to open, blocking the satellite release. This failure meant SpaceX had to postpone the satellite deployment test to a future flight. Next, the company tried to restart one of the upper stage’s Raptor engines in space to test its ignition capability. However, a propellant leak caused the Starship to spin slowly, disrupting the precise orientation needed for a safe reentry. The rocket must enter the atmosphere at a specific angle to withstand heat and pressure. The spin led to a loss of control and, ultimately, a catastrophic breakup of the vehicle during reentry.

Elon Musk Notes Progress and Outlines Faster Launch Plans

Despite the failures, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted that Starship reached the scheduled engine cutoff, which marked an improvement over previous flights. He also highlighted that the heat shield tiles remained largely intact during ascent, showing progress in vehicle durability. Musk explained that leaks caused the loss of pressure in the main tank during the coast and reentry phases. He emphasized the importance of the data collected during this flight, which engineers will analyze carefully. Musk also announced plans to speed up the launch schedule, aiming for about one launch per month for the next three flights. This faster cadence depends on how quickly SpaceX can identify and fix the issues seen during this mission.

Booster’s New Steep Descent Technique Aims to Save Fuel and Improve Future Designs

The booster used for this flight had flown before on the seventh test flight in January, where it landed successfully by being caught with mechanical arms on the launch tower. This time, SpaceX tried a different approach for the booster’s return. The rocket flipped back toward the launch site using a new method designed to save propellant. Additionally, SpaceX programmed the booster to descend at a much steeper angle, increasing the atmospheric drag and slowing its fall. This steep descent generates more thermal and aerodynamic stress on the vehicle but reduces fuel use for the landing burn. SpaceX hopes that real-world data from this high-stress descent will help improve the performance of future boosters, including the next generation of Super Heavy rockets. Because of the added risk from these tests, SpaceX aimed for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead of attempting a risky launch pad capture, protecting critical ground infrastructure.

Recent Explosions Prompt Safety Reviews and Launch Restrictions by FAA

This ninth flight followed two recent Starship upper stage failures in January and March, both ending in spectacular explosions. The debris from those flights forced temporary shutdowns of commercial airline traffic near the Straits of Florida. After these accidents, SpaceX engineers conducted extensive testing and made upgrades to prevent similar problems. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reviewed these changes thoroughly. Last week, the FAA gave SpaceX permission to proceed with this flight after completing the review of the eighth test flight failure. To increase safety, the FAA expanded the restricted airspace from about 1,000 statute miles to nearly 1,840 miles and required SpaceX to launch during periods of low commercial air traffic. These measures help protect planes from falling debris during future flights.

Starship’s Role in NASA’s Artemis Program and Musk’s Mars Vision

The Super Heavy-Starship system plays a crucial role in NASA’s plans to land astronauts on the moon in the near future. NASA plans to use a modified Starship upper stage as the lunar lander in the Artemis program. NASA’s rockets and crew capsules will ferry astronauts to lunar orbit, where Starship will deliver them safely to the moon’s surface. However, political shifts have caused uncertainty about the Artemis program’s future. The Trump administration once considered canceling NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule, which put Artemis in doubt. Elon Musk, meanwhile, has expressed the belief that the United States should focus on missions to Mars instead of the moon, calling moon missions a distraction. Regardless, SpaceX’s Starship will remain vital to deep space exploration. The rocket needs many successful test flights before it can safely carry astronauts to the moon, Mars, or beyond.

Causes of Past Failures and SpaceX’s Engineering Fixes

The earlier January flight failed due to a propellant leak in an unpressurized attic area above the Raptor engines. This leak caused fires that shut down most engines, leading to the vehicle breaking apart. SpaceX identified that strong harmonic vibrations in flight caused more stress than seen in tests. These vibrations damaged hardware and caused the leaks and fires. After that failure, SpaceX made several improvements. The company upgraded propellant feedlines, adjusted engine thrust levels, added vents, and installed a nitrogen purge system in the attic to reduce fire risk. During the March test flight, the upper stage failed again due to a hardware issue in one of the Raptor engines. This failure caused fuel to mix and ignite unexpectedly. To fix this, SpaceX improved the upper stage Raptors by adding a nitrogen purge system, better propellant drains, and tighter joints in critical areas. They are also developing a new Raptor engine design to eliminate known failure points.

Moving Forward with Starship Testing and Development

This ninth flight demonstrated some progress, such as improved engine cutoff timing and better heat shield performance. However, the loss of both stages again highlights the challenges SpaceX faces in developing such a complex vehicle. The company plans to increase the pace of testing and fix issues rapidly. SpaceX continues to gather crucial data from each test to refine Starship’s design and operation. Successful flights will prove the rocket’s safety and reliability for future crewed missions. Starship’s development remains key to NASA’s lunar plans and Musk’s vision for human space travel to Mars and beyond.