SpaceX’s ninth test flight of Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — marked a major milestone in the company’s quest to make spaceflight fully reusable. While the mission ended with the upper-stage vehicle tumbling uncontrollably during reentry, the flight delivered significant progress compared to earlier attempts.
Launched from SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas on Tuesday evening, Starship soared into space atop 33 Raptor engines. For the first time ever, SpaceX reused a Super Heavy booster — a breakthrough in rapid reusability that is central to the company’s long-term goals of reducing launch costs and enabling interplanetary missions.
Starship successfully completed its ascent and reached the planned engine cutoff, coasting through space for nearly 30 minutes before a fuel system leak caused it to lose attitude control. The resulting loss of stability forced SpaceX to abandon several in-flight objectives, including relighting a Raptor engine in space and deploying mock Starlink satellites.
Ultimately, the spacecraft broke apart over the Indian Ocean — an outcome SpaceX humorously refers to as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 28, 2025
With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s…
Despite the dramatic conclusion, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk emphasized the flight’s many successes. “Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight! Leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase. Lot of good data to review,” Musk said on X.
The Super Heavy booster, which successfully separated from Starship using the hot-staging maneuver, also tested a new descent technique, conducted a higher-angle reentry designed to reduce descent velocity — a key step in future propellant savings. Though it ultimately broke apart during its descent into the Gulf of Mexico, the data collected will inform ongoing design improvements.
Starship’s Raptor engines ignite during hot-staging separation. Super Heavy is boosting back towards its splashdown site and preparing for its high angle of attack entry pic.twitter.com/aQBwsvSrl0
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 27, 2025
This latest flight comes after two previous test missions in January and March that saw the upper stage explode within minutes of launch. In contrast, Flight 9 saw Starship travel further and operate longer than either predecessor.
Importantly, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that there were no injuries or damage to public property from this flight. SpaceX’s proactive approach to safety and post-flight investigation ensures that testing can continue without significant regulatory delays.
Musk confirmed that the company plans to increase its Starship launch cadence, aiming for a flight every three to four weeks. This aligns with NASA’s timeline for its Artemis program, which depends on Starship for future lunar landings and deep space missions.
