On May 27, 2025, the space world gathered—virtually and in person—at Starbase, Texas, for SpaceX’s ninth Starship test flight. The goal: push the boundaries of reusable rocketry and deploy eight dummy Starlink satellites. But the road to liftoff was bumpy. Twice, the countdown screeched to a halt at T+40 seconds, leaving mission control on edge. Likely culprits? Engine quirks or sensor glitches. Undeterred, SpaceX reset and, on the third try, ignited all 33 Raptor engines at 7:37 p.m. EDT (23:37 GMT), sending the 40-story stack skyward SpaceX Mission.
A Fiery Ascent and a Rough Landing
The Super Heavy booster (B14-2), a seasoned veteran from January’s Flight 7, roared through ascent and separated cleanly. Its next task: a controlled landing burn over the Gulf of Mexico. At T+06:40, with only 12 of 13 engines firing, disaster struck. The booster broke apart, earning a “hard splashdown” badge of honor—or at least a valiant attempt Space.com Report. SpaceX’s iterative spirit took the hit, ready to learn and launch again.
The Starship’s Stellar Climb
Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage, Ship 35, rocketed to a suborbital apogee of 189 km, outshining Flights 7 and 8. Elon Musk cheered on X: “Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight!” Elon Musk on X. The heat shield tiles held strong, a critical win for future reentries, proving this bird could take the heat.
A Door with a Mind of Its Own
At T+18:26, drama unfolded. The plan was to open the payload door and release eight dummy Starlink satellites, each weighing ~2,000 kg. Instead, the door went full HAL 9000, stubbornly refusing with a cosmic, “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Debris in the cargo bay might be the culprit, speculated X users X Post by @EVonschimpf. This glitch axed the satellite drop and a Raptor engine relight test at T+38:00, leaving mission control with a sci-fi-worthy plot twist.
The Reentry Rollercoaster
The coast phase brought more trouble. Leaks in the propellant tanks drained pressure, and attitude control slipped away. During reentry over the Indian Ocean, Starship tumbled wildly, losing telemetry at 59 km altitude and likely disintegrating. Not the gentle splashdown hoped for, but a data goldmine for SpaceX engineers.
Looking to the Stars
Starship 9 stuttered at the start, stumbled at the door, and tumbled on return, but SpaceX’s mission to Mars marches on. Two aborts at T+40 seconds couldn’t stop the launch, and a stubborn door couldn’t dim the progress. With each flight, SpaceX refines its cosmic chariot. Flight 10 looms, and maybe—just maybe—the payload door will get the memo. The stars await!
| Flight Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Launch Date and Time | May 27, 2025, 7:37 p.m. EDT (23:37 GMT; 6:37 p.m. CDT) |
| Launch Attempts | Two aborts at T+40 seconds, successful launch on third attempt |
| Launch Site | Starbase, Texas, Pad A |
| Vehicles | Super Heavy Booster (B14-2, Block 2, 33 Raptor engines), Starship (Ship 35, Block 2) |
| Payload | 8 Starlink mass simulators (~16,000 kg) |
| Booster Outcome | Broke apart during landing burn, hard splashdown in Gulf of Mexico, telemetry lost at T+06:40 |
| Starship Outcome | Reached 189 km apogee, lost attitude control due to tank leaks, disintegrated during reentry, telemetry lost at T+46:48 |
| Key Issues | Two launch aborts at T+40, payload door failed to open at T+18:26, Raptor relight test skipped, tank pressure loss during coast |
| Achievements | Reached scheduled engine cutoff, no significant heat shield tile loss |
