- Starship’s ninth test flight saw a successful launch and stage separation, but ended in loss of vehicle after attitude control failure.
- The mission failed to deploy dummy satellites and lost contact 46 minutes after launch, with debris falling in the Indian Ocean.
- SpaceX will use data from the flight to improve Starship’s reliability for future missions.
SpaceX launched its ninth Starship test flight from Starbase, Texas, on Tuesday, achieving several milestones before the mission ended in vehicle loss.
The flight marked the first time a flight-proven Super Heavy booster was reused, with both stages successfully separating and Starship reaching space.
However, the mission encountered several setbacks. Starship was unable to open its cargo hatch to deploy eight dummy Starlink satellites, aborting a key test objective.
Later in the flight, the spacecraft lost attitude control due to fuel tank leaks, causing it to spin uncontrollably during re-entry.
SpaceX lost contact with Starship about 46 minutes after launch, and the vehicle disintegrated over the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster also failed to complete its landing burn, exploding before splashdown.
Despite these issues, the test flight was the smoothest of the year, following two consecutive explosions in earlier flights. SpaceX implemented multiple upgrades and hardware changes after previous failures, and the Federal Aviation Administration had cleared the company for this launch after reviewing safety measures.
SpaceX emphasised the value of data collected from the test, which will inform future improvements as the company works toward making Starship fully reusable for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Edited by Annette George
