Spacex successfully launched the spacecraft aircraft space in space, Tuesday, after two new test flights, it resulted in the destruction of spacecraft and sending debris back to earth.
The ninth test flight from the Starship from the Starbase Spacex facility near Brownsville, Texas, was launched a few minutes after 19:30 ET, after a short delay before taking off and achieving the company’s goals from the Suborbital trajectory.
This launch is seen as a key step in the purpose of Elon Musk to finally send humans to Mars. But before Spacex and NASA can send astronauts to the red planet, the company must prove that the space ship can fly and return safely and reliably.
Screengrab from SpaceX Live shows the launch of the Starship Spacex rocket from Starbase, Texas, on May 27, 2025. SpaceX launched the next test flight from Starship Megarocket – Flour Key from Mars Ambition Elon Musk – After the last two sightseeing of the ship ended with a complement to Fiery. The launch window opened at 18:30 (2330 GMT) from the company’s Starbase Facility near the new South Texas Village of South Texas chose to become a city, also called Starbase.
SpaceX/AFP Via Getty Images
Screengrab from SpaceX Live shows the launch of the Starship Spacex rocket from Starbase, Texas, on May 27, 2025. SpaceX launched the next test flight from Starship Megarocket – Flour Key from Mars Ambition Elon Musk – After the last two sightseeing of the ship ended with a complement to Fiery.
SpaceX/AFP Via Getty Images
During the eighth Starship flight test in early March, several engines were closed unexpectedly about 5 1/2 minutes after launch, resulting in Spacex losing control over the craft. Communication with a vehicle disappeared a few minutes later.
After the investigation, the company said “hardware failure” with one engine caused fuel to mix and burning in a place that should not have. And while the ship was not instructed to destroy yourself, Spacex said it was the possibility of doing it automatically.
Spacex Starship Flight 8 was launched from the orbital launch on Boca Chica Beach, March 6, 2025, at Boca Chica Beach, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Image
When Starship broke up, debris fell throughout the southern Florida and the Atlantic Section, which led to a stop at the nearest airport. Photos and videos shared on social media show rocket debris across the sky.
Super Heavy Booster Spacex Starship approaches the launch foundation at Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, March 6, 2025, during the 8th test flight.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP Via Getty Images
Similar failures occurred in January when vibrations that were stronger than estimates cause leakage and propellan explosion. In both cases, the upper stage is lost, but the first stage booster was successfully returned to the launch location and caught using robot “chopstick” robotics attached to the launch tower.
Spacex said that he had made a significant modification at the top stage based on what was learned from the previous flight test and noted that while the two failures occurred around the same time during the mission, the cause was not related.
No astronauts ride the previous mission, and no one will go up to this board.
To reach orbit, Starship is installed on a super heavy rocket as high as 400 feet powered by 33 raptor machines, making it the most powerful rocket system ever developed, according to the company. In contrast to Falcon 9 which can be reused partially, Spacex aims to make the space ship can be fully used and able to launch, land, and fly again with minimal maintenance.
According to Spacex, this test is to mark “the first launch of the super heavy booster that was proven flight,” which was flying and returning during the seventh test flight. The company says 29 of 33 booster machines will also be reused from the previous test. Engineers check and replace known disposable components such as hot shields but leave booster mostly intact to study real world wear.
The Spacex Falcon 9 rocket launched a Nrol-153 National Reconnaissance Offices (NRO) mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) in Vandenberg Space Force Base, January 9, 2025, at Lompoc, Calif.
Image Kirby Lee/Getty
Before the launch, Spacex said the booster would not try back to the launch location this time. Conversely, it was to follow the flight path modified and “landed” with a hard spark in the bay after testing new flights and landing configurations. One of the booster engines is deactivated during the last landing combustion to determine whether the reserve can compensate.
The Upper Starship stage will aim to complete the destination that avoids spacex during the previous mission, such as using eight Starlink satellite simulators, which will be the first for space ships, and re -interpret the raptor engine in space.
Space aircraft are also arranged to also undergo extreme heat testing. The engineer has released some of the thermal tiles used to protect the vehicle during re -entering, exposing the vulnerable area intentionally, the company said. Different options and tile materials will also be tested during launch.
“Development testing according to definition is unpredictable. But by putting hardware in the aviation environment as often as possible, we can quickly learn and carry out design changes when we try to bring Starship online as a complete vehicle and can be reused quickly,” Spacex said in the announcement of its launch.