On [insert date], SpaceX pulled off its ninth test flight of the Starship. As such, this accomplishment is a major milestone in their continued development program. The flight flew with a flight-proven Super Heavy booster, which had flown on Starship’s seventh test flight. This new attempt follows years of adversity. We addressed two successive catastrophic explosions during prior development flights and executed substantial hardware modifications in order to increase reliability.
The ninth test flight launched just after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) increased risk zones across the U.S. and abroad. As part of this amendment, SpaceX provided FAA with a revised safety analysis. This preemptive step strikes toward the safety of surrounding air traffic while the flight was en route. Just days before, the FAA had authorized SpaceX for this high-stakes test.
Halfway through the mission, Starship managed a successful separation from its Super Heavy booster. It later made it to orbit, demonstrating a critical step in the main spacecraft’s future capabilities. The flight was not without complications. Roughly eight minutes into the mission, Starship lost several Raptor engines and started to flip out of control. Due to this unexpected decrease in altitude, the spacecraft was forced into a rapid, uncontrolled re-entry over the Indian Ocean.
Those attempts to deploy the mock satellites were unfortunately prevented when the ship was unable to open a side cargo hatch. As a result, this part of the exam failed to produce the desired effect. Debris from Starship’s re-entry fell into airspace near Puerto Rico, prompting the FAA to reroute several aircraft to ensure safety in the vicinity.
Yet despite these disappointments, SpaceX considered the ninth test flight to be both a success and a failure. The mission yielded tons of useful data that will be used to improve and iterate the Starship design for subsequent missions. The company is no stranger to changes in its hardware, having done so after losing Starship on its eighth flight test. These modifications are intended to improve overall mission reliability for upcoming missions.
