SpaceX’s Starship sees another failure in ninth test flight despite

SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9 ended in failure — and it is not the company’s only one. 

Since its first launch in April 2023, SpaceX has seen a mix of failed and successful launches. While not every launch is a success, the company often says that “success comes from what we learn.”

April 20, 2023

SpaceX’s first Starship flight test started with success as the spacecraft cleared the orbital launch pad for the first time. However, Starship experienced multiple engine outages, lost altitude and began to tumble. At that point, according to SpaceX, “the flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and ship.”

The company experienced another issue during its first flight test beyond what SpaceX livestream hosts described as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” While the rocket was built to be reusable, no part of the rocket was recovered.

SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket lifts off on its third launch from the company’s Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, on March 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Joe Skipper / Reuters)

SPACEX SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES GIANT STARSHIP ROCKET, EXPLODES MINUTES LATER

November 18, 2023

Months after its first flight test failed, SpaceX once again launched Starship. While SpaceX celebrated a number of major milestones with this launch and saw Starship make it further than the first flight, it still ended in failure. 

Starship’s takeoff was successful in this second test, but the separation from the Super Heavy booster ended in an explosion. Despite this premature ending, SpaceX classified the separation itself and the Super Heavy booster’s flip maneuver to being successful. Once again, the spacecraft experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

March 14, 2024

The third Starship test flight was the first to be considered a success. In its third test, it met the same key milestones as the first two, and it ultimately went further than either of its predecessors. 

As the first successful test flight, the Starship was able to experience its first-ever reentry to Earth from space, which gave SpaceX “valuable data on heating and vehicle control during hypersonic reentry.”

Celebrating the company’s success, SpaceX founder Elon Musk vowed “Starship will take humanity to Mars” following the test flight. 

June 6, 2024

SpaceX’s fourth test flight was also a success from takeoff to reentry. Additionally, Starlink was able to capture live high-definition video throughout every phase of reentry, according to SpaceX.

“Flight 4 ended with Starship igniting its three center Raptor engines and executing the first flip maneuver and landing burn since our suborbital campaign, followed by a soft splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean one hour and six minutes after launch,” SpaceX wrote in a summary of the launch on its website.

Musk…