Starship of SpaceX encounters communications loss during its 9th test flight, mirroring the outcomes of the previous 2 missions that ended in explosions.
In a setback for SpaceX, another Super Heavy-Starship rocket test flight concluded with the loss of both stages on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. The ninth integrated test flight started with a ground-shaking liftoff from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas, facility, but ended prematurely due to a catastrophic failure during the Super Heavy first stage's engine reignition.
As the first stage descended towards a planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, it encountered a critical failure at the moment its engines reignited. This happened while following a deliberately steeper, more stressful descent trajectory. The Starship upper stage, powered by six engines, successfully reached its planned suborbital trajectory. However, a few minutes later, a door on the side of the rocket failed to open, preventing the release of simulated Starlink satellites in a test of the rocket's deployment system.
An attempt to restart a single Raptor engine in space was thwarted by a propellant leak that caused the spacecraft to enter a slow spin. This spin prevented both the engine restart and a controlled reentry and splashdown. The engineers will defer this test to a future flight.
Two previous upper stage breakups in January and March raised concerns, but extensive testing and implementations of upgrades addressed the issues. The Federal Aviation Administration oversaw both failure investigations and granted SpaceX permission for the recent test. The Starship is vital for NASA's plans to land astronauts on the moon and SpaceX's ambitions to send humans to Mars.
SpaceX engineers have already made changes to improve the propellant feedlines, thrust levels, installed additional vents, and introduced a nitrogen purge system in the attic to reduce the potential for fires. The improvements appeared to work as expected during the Starship's eighth test flight in March, but the upper stage again suffered a catastrophic failure.
The next three Super Heavy launches are expected to occur at a faster cadence, approximately once a month or less, provided that engineers can quickly pinpoint and address any identified issues. The test flight presented many valuable lessons for future vehicles, including the next generation of Super Heavy.
In a previous interview, SpaceX founder Elon Musk expressed cautious optimism that the ships could be sent from Earth to Mars by November or December of the following year, albeit with a 50% chance of success. Nevertheless, SpaceX and the broader space industry maintain their tireless pursuit of innovation and progress.
- Following the latest Super Heavy-Starship rocket test flight incident on May 27, 2025, various investigations by SpaceX engineers and the Federal Aviation Administration are underway to identify the cause and prevent future failures.
- The latest news in space-and-astronomy and technology revolves around the ongoing investigations into the catastrophic failure during the Super Heavy first-stage engine reignition, a critical moment in the ninth integrated test flight.
- Amidst the setbacks, SpaceX continues to push boundaries in both law and science, with plans to address the issues found in the investigations and hopefully achieving a successful launch in the near future, contributing to NASA's plans for lunar landings and SpaceX's Mars exploration ambitions.
