SpaceX’s Starship system—the two-stage, 232-foot rocket-plus-ship combo designed for multiplanetary travel—roared off its launch pad in Texas on Tuesday at 7:36 p.m. EDT. This ninth uncrewed test flight flew farther than its last two attempts, which ended in explosive failures.
For the first time, SpaceX stacked a previously flown Super Heavy booster under the Starship upper stage, aiming to prove a key part of its reusability strategy. As the cluster of powerful Raptor engines ignited, the 71-meter-tall vehicle lifted off in a blaze of flame and vapor, thrilling livestream viewers around the world.
Minutes later, the first stage separated as planned and began its descent back toward Earth. But controllers lost contact with the booster before it could execute its controlled splashdown, and it presumably fell into the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage climbed to a suborbital trajectory roughly nine minutes into the flight.
During ascent, mission engineers encountered a snag: payload doors meant to deploy simulated satellites failed to open. Despite this hiccup, Starship aimed for a guided re-entry and splashdown in the Indian Ocean within a 90-minute mission window.
About 30 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX reported that the upper stage had lost attitude control and entered a spin, making a safe re-entry unlikely. “We will not be aligned as we wanted for re-entry,” a SpaceX commentator admitted on the livestream.
The Federal Aviation Administration granted the launch license just four days prior, ending a nearly two-month grounding tied to an investigation of January and March flights that ended in midair breakups and debris over Caribbean air routes. For Tuesday’s launch, the FAA also expanded debris hazard zones to safeguard commercial airlines.
Despite the setbacks, this test flight marks progress: a more distant flight path, a reused booster in play, and critical lessons for the first fully reusable spacecraft. As SpaceX pushes toward its goal of regular flights to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, each test brings the company closer to turning sci-fi into reality.
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SpaceX Starship launches on ninth test flight after last two blew up
cgtn.com
