SpaceX’s Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket, faced another setback during its ninth test flight on May 28, 2025. The spacecraft lost control approximately 30 minutes after launch, disintegrating upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.
The Starship test flight lifted off at 5:06 am IST (May 27, 6:36 PM CDT) from Boca Chica, Texas. Mounted atop the reusable Super Heavy Booster 14-2, this flight aimed to test critical capabilities, including booster reuse and orbital payload deployment. The payload consisted of eight Starlink mass simulator satellites weighing approximately 16,000 kilograms.
Starship ready for launch for 9th test. The upper part is called Ship and the lower part is called Super Heavy Booster.
Test highlights and results
This mission marked significant milestones:
- Booster Reuse: For the first time, a Super Heavy booster was reused. This booster was previously used in the seventh test flight.
- Hard Landing Test: During the landing burn, one centre engine was deliberately shut down to evaluate the backup engine’s performance. Despite the controlled test, the booster made a hard landing in the Gulf of Mexico and was destroyed.
- Payload Deployment: The upper stage reached orbital velocity but failed to deploy its payload of eight Starlink mass simulator satellites due to a malfunctioning payload door.
- Reentry: The upper stage lost attitude control during reentry, leading to its disintegration.
Mission Objectives
- The planned controlled water landing of Starship’s upper stage in the Indian Ocean was not achieved. Additionally, key experiments, including payload deployment and firing a Raptor engine in space, could not be conducted due to technical issues.
- During the booster’s landing burn, a specialized engine configuration was tested. In the final landing phase, one of the three active centre engines was intentionally shut down to evaluate whether the middle ring’s backup engine could complete the manoeuvre.
- Following this adjustment, the booster switched to two centre engines. After the landing burn, the engines were deliberately shut down as the booster hovered over the Gulf of Mexico. This resulted in a hard landing in the water, completing the test sequence.
Starship test flight summary
8th Test (March 7, 2025) The booster successfully landed on the pad, but the upper stage lost control after four engines failed, leading to an automated mid-air destruction. Debris disrupted flights in Florida.
7th Test (January 17, 2025) The booster returned to the launch pad successfully, but the upper stage exploded due to an oxygen leak.
6th Test (November 20, 2024) A planned pad landing for the booster was changed to a water landing. The upper stage restarted its engine in space and landed in the Indian Ocean. The test was attended by President Donald Trump.
5th Test (October 13, 2024) The booster was caught in mid-air by Mechazilla’s metal arms. The upper stage successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere and made a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean.
4th Test (June 6, 2024) Starship reached space and landed softly in the ocean after reentry, despite suffering tile loss and flap damage.
3rd Test (March 14, 2024) Starship achieved milestones like payload door testing and internal liquid transfer but lost contact during reentry.
2nd Test (November 18, 2023) The booster exploded at 90 km altitude, while the upper stage malfunctioned at 148 km and was destroyed via the flight termination system. The test successfully demonstrated the hot staging process for the first time.
1st Test (April 20, 2023) Booster 7 and Ship 24 launched but exploded 4 minutes after liftoff at 30 km altitude, marking the first successful Starship launch from the pad.
After the engine shutdown in the eighth test, the upper part of Starship exploded. Videos of this were shared on social media.
Starship’s sixth launch was conducted on November 20, 2024. Then America’s newly elected President Donald Trump also arrived at Starbase to watch the test. SpaceX owner Elon Musk received him.
Starship System Overview
Specifications
- Height: 403 feet
- Diameter: 9 meters
- Payload Capacity: 100-150 metric tons
Capabilities
- Payload Delivery: Transport cargo to various orbits and destinations.
- Moon Missions: Facilitate lunar exploration and support NASA’s Artemis program.
- Earth-to-Earth Transportation: Enable rapid global travel, reaching any destination in under an hour.
- Interplanetary Transportation: Carry humans and cargo to Mars and beyond.
Why Establish a Colony on Mars?
Elon Musk emphasises the importance of a Mars colony to safeguard humanity against potential extinction events, such as asteroid impacts or global ecological disasters. Referencing the extinction of dinosaurs millions of years ago, Musk advocates for a multi-planetary future to ensure human survival.
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking also highlighted the urgency of expanding beyond Earth, predicting the necessity within the next century.
Role in NASA’s Artemis Program
Starship plays a pivotal role in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon after 50 years. As part of the mission, Starship will:
- Transport astronauts from orbit to the lunar surface.
- Facilitate the final phase of lunar missions, advancing human exploration of the moon and setting the foundation for future Mars missions.
