Starship Flight Test 9 was the ninth the Starship flight test and it launched on May 27th, 2025. It used Ship 35 (S35) and Booster 14-2 (B14-2), making it the first reflight of a Super Heavy Booster,[1] successfully achieving hot staging and a boost-back burn, though B14 experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its landing burn. S35 reached orbit but lost attitude control due to fuel leakages, failed to deploy Starlink simulators, and disintegrated during uncontrolled reentry, prompting an FAA-mandated mishap investigation.
Summary[]
After a hold at T-40 seconds due to temperatures on a booster Raptor engine as well as a reset at around T-10 seconds back to the T-40 seconds mark due to some issues on the tower, Starship 14/35 lifted off at 18:36 CST (20:36 CST) with all 33 engines igniting on the booster. Hot staging was completed successfully in the planned orientation and B14 completed a successful boost-back burn, while S35 ignited it's six raptor engines. The booster got all the way to the landing burn, at the startup of which it experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly. The ship continued on it's way to orbit and reached the targeted trajectory successfully. However, due to internal fuel leakages, the ship lost attitude control soon after SECO and began spinning. SpaceX wasn't able to open the payload door to release the Starlink simulators and they also refrained from the planned Raptor reignition. The ship reentered earth's atmosphere without control on which it started to slowly disintegrate and contact was eventually lost.
B14-2 was planned to be expended as per a launch license modification removing the Launch Site as a destination for the mission and clarified by the FAA [2] as well as an official confirmation[3] from SpaceX. Since Flight 7 and Flight 8 both ended in a Ship disintegration, the goal was to safely bring back a Block 2 Ship (Ship 35) from orbit with a water landing. It also again carried some experiments from those previous flights. Namely, deploying some Starlink simulator satellites, a trajectory that stresses the flaps, less heat shield tiles, experimental active-cooled tiles, and an ablative heat shield material.
Since both the FAA investigation and the rework taking longer this time, Ship 35 having an anomaly during a long duration static fire attempt, and likely for other reasons, the gap until Flight 9 was 82 days after Flight 8, 33 days longer than the interval between Flight 7 and 8 (49 days).
Unlike the previous four launches, Booster 14 did not attempt a catch at the launch tower and was used to test several experiments, including controlling the booster flip direction via welded vents added to the hot staging ring that should let S35's exhaust flip the booster into the right direction for the boost-back burn, a more efficient high-angle-of-attack booster return, and engine-out capability during the final 3-engine landing burn by having an engine in the center 3 be intentionally shut with the booster then trying to compensate by automatically re-lighting an engine from the outer ring of 13. A hard splashdown in the ocean was planned after its engines shut off several 100 meters above the ground.
The FAA announced on 30 May 2025 that they would require SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation for the ship portion of the flight as the ship did not complete its launch or reentry as planned.[4]
Post launch updates[]
30 May 2025 - FAA Statement[]
The FAA is requiring SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation for the Starship Flight 9 mission that launched on May 27 from Starbase, Texas.
All Starship vehicle and Super Heavy booster debris landed within the designated hazard areas. There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property.
The mishap investigation is focused only on the loss of the Starship vehicle which did not complete its launch or reentry as planned. The FAA determined that the loss of the Super Heavy booster is covered by one of the approved test induced damage exceptions requested by SpaceX for certain flight events and system components. The FAA evaluated each exception prior to launch approval and verified they met public safety requirements.
The FAA activated a Debris Response Area, out of an abundance of caution, when the Super Heavy booster experienced its anomaly over the Gulf of America during its flyback toward Texas. The FAA subsequently determined the debris did not fall outside of the hazard area. During the event there were zero departure delays, one flight was diverted, and one airborne flight was held for 24 minutes.[4]
27 May 2025 - Launch[]
At T-40 seconds, the timeline was held due to temperatures on a raptor engine on the booster. At 18:32, T-10 seconds, a second hold was announced and the clock was set back at T-40 seconds due to a ground-side issue on the tower. At 18:35:35 commentators announced that they were going to reset everything, At approximately 18:36:00, the clock restarted.
Resources[]
- SpaceX video compilation of stage separation and flip maneuver: here
Lift off. c SpaceX
Stage separation. c SpaceX
Ship 35 on its way to space. c SpaceX
S35 in space. c SpaceX
Timeline[]
- 09:44 | -08:49 | OLIT B chopsticks moved into a launch position
- 11:30 | -07:00 | Road closed
- 12:25 | -06:05 | Chopsticks reopened and transport stands have left the launch site
- 12:47 | -05:42 | B14 transport stand returned to the build site
- 16:43 | -01:46 | Pad cleared
- 16:45 | -01:44 | SpaceX: "Counting down to Starship's ninth flight test. The 60-minute launch window opens at 6:30 p.m. CT, with live coverage starting ~30 minutes before liftoff"[5]
- 17:10 | -01:20 | OLIT vent began to chill the SQD lines to flight temperature
- 17:14 | -01:14 | OLM vent started
- 17:24 | -01:04 | SpaceX: "The Starship team is go for prop load"[6]
- 17:45 | -00:45 | Cryo loading started
- 17:50 | -00:40 | Ship engine chill vent
- [tbc]
Stream Timeline[]
Launch Information[]
Aims and mission profile[]
Starship Flight Test 9 marks the first mission to reuse a Super Heavy Booster (B14), originally flown on the seventh flight test, and aims to gather performance data to enhance reusability and reliability. The booster will attempt several flight experiments to gather real-world performance data on future flight profiles and off-nominal scenarios. For safety reasons, those experiments will be attempted while on a trajectory to an offshore landing point in the Gulf of Mexico and the booster will not return to launch site and caught by the tower.
Following stage separation, the booster will flip in a controlled direction by blocking several of the vents on the vehicle’s hotstage adapter, causing the thrust from Starship’s engines to push the booster in a known direction. Previous booster flips went in a randomized direction based on a directional push from small differences in thrust from Starship’s upper stage engines at ignition. Flipping in a known direction will require less propellant to be held in reserve, enabling the use of more propellant during ascent to enable additional payload mass to orbit. During descent, the booster will fly at a higher angle of attack to increase atmospheric drag, aiming to lower descent speed and optimize propellant use for landing. Additionally, the landing burn will test unique engine configurations, including disabling one of the three center engines to assess a backup engine’s capability and transitioning to two center engines before a planned hard splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
The upper stage of Starship will again follow a suborbital trajectory, targeting previously unreached objectives. A significant number of tiles have been removed from Starship to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle during reentry. Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry. On the sides of the vehicle, functional catch fittings are installed and will test the fittings’ thermal and structural performance. The entire ship's tile line also received a smoothed and tapered edge to address hot spots observed during reentry on Starship’s sixth flight test. Starship’s reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage’s rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure.
Furthermore, a relight of a single Raptor engine in space is planned as is the deployment of Starlink simulators that will be on the same suborbital trajectory as the Ship.[7]
Mission profile of Flight Test 9. c SpaceX
Upgrades[]
Following the investigation into the loss of Starship’s eighth test flight, several hardware modifications have been implemented to improve system robustness. The Super Heavy booster underwent detailed inspections, and while expendable components such as ablative shielding were replaced, most of its structure and 29 of its 33 Raptor engines remain flight-proven.
Planned countdown[]
The planned countdown according to SpaceX[7]:
| Hr/Min/Sec | Event |
|---|---|
| 01:15:00 | SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load |
| 00:51:37 | Ship LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway |
| 00:45:20 | Ship fuel (liquid methane) load underway |
| 00:41:37 | Booster fuel load underway |
| 00:35:52 | Booster LOX load underway |
| 00:19:40 | Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship |
| 00:03:20 | Ship propellant load complete |
| 00:02:50 | Booster propellant load complete |
| 00:00:30 | SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch |
| 00:00:10 | Flame deflector activation |
| 00:00:03 | Raptor ignition sequence begins |
| 00:00:00 | Excitement guaranteed |
Planned flight test timeline[]
The planned flight test timeline according to SpaceX[7]:
| Hr/Min/Sec | Event |
|---|---|
| 00:00:02 | Liftoff |
| 00:01:02 | Max Q (moment of peak aerodynamic stress on the rocket) |
| 00:02:35 | Super Heavy MECO (most engines cut off) |
| 00:02:37 | Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation) |
| 00:02:47 | Super Heavy boostback burn startup |
| 00:03:27 | Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown |
| 00:03:29 | Hot-stage jettison |
| 00:06:19 | Super Heavy landing burn start |
| 00:06:40 | Super Heavy landing burn shutdown |
| 00:08:56 | Starship engine cutoff |
| 00:18:26 | Payload deploy demo |
| 00:37:49 | Raptor in-space relight demo |
| 00:47:50 | Starship entry |
| 01:03:11 | Starship is transonic |
| 01:04:26 | Starship is subsonic |
| 01:06:11 | Landing flip |
| 01:06:16 | Landing burn |
| 01:06:38 | An exciting landing! |
Announcements and updates[]
23 May 2025 - SpaceX web info updated[]
The ninth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Tuesday, May 27. The launch window will open at 6:30 p.m. CT.
A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates.
After completing the investigation into the loss of Starship on its eighth flight test, several hardware changes have been made to increase reliability. You can read the full technical summary of the mishap investigation here.
The upcoming flight test marks the first launch of a flight-proven Super Heavy booster, which previously launched and returned on Starship’s seventh flight test. In addition to the reuse milestone, Super Heavy will fly a variety of experiments aimed at generating data to improve performance and reliability on future boosters. The Starship upper stage will repeat its suborbital trajectory and target objectives not reached on the previous two flight tests, including the first payload deployment from Starship and multiple reentry experiments geared towards returning the vehicle to the launch site for catch.
Super Heavy is designed to be fully and rapidly reusable, with future generations capable of multiple launches per day. To achieve this first ever reflight, extensive inspections took place following the booster’s first launch to assess hardware health and identify where maintenance or replacement hardware was needed. Known single-use components like ablative heat-shielding were replaced, but a large majority of the booster’s hardware will be flight-proven, including 29 of its 33 Raptor engines. Lessons learned from the first booster refurbishment and subsequent performance in flight will enable faster turnarounds of future reflights as progress is made towards vehicles requiring no hands-on maintenance between launches.
The booster on this flight test is also attempting several flight experiments to gather real-world performance data on future flight profiles and off-nominal scenarios. To maximize the safety of launch infrastructure at Starbase, the Super Heavy booster will attempt these experiments while on a trajectory to an offshore landing point in the Gulf of Mexico and will not return to the launch site for catch.
Following stage separation, the booster will flip in a controlled direction before initiating its boostback burn. This will be achieved by blocking several of the vents on the vehicle’s hotstage adapter, causing the thrust from Starship’s engines to push the booster in a known direction. Previous booster flips went in a randomized direction based on a directional push from small differences in thrust from Starship’s upper stage engines at ignition. Flipping in a known direction will require less propellant to be held in reserve, enabling the use of more propellant during ascent to enable additional payload mass to orbit.
After the conclusion of the boostback burn, the booster will attempt to fly at a higher angle of attack during its descent. By increasing the amount of atmospheric drag on the vehicle, a higher angle of attack can result in a lower descent speed which in turn requires less propellant for the initial landing burn. Getting real-world data on how the booster is able to control its flight at this higher angle of attack will contribute to improved performance on future vehicles, including the next generation of Super Heavy.
Finally, unique engine configurations will be demonstrated during the Super Heavy’s landing burn. One of the three center engines used for the final phase of landing will be intentionally disabled to gather data on the ability for a backup engine from the middle ring to complete a landing burn. The booster will then transition to only two center engines for the end of the landing burn, with shutdown occurring while still above the Gulf of Mexico and the vehicle expected to make a hard splashdown.
The Starship upper stage will again target multiple in-space objectives, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon entry. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned.
The flight test includes several experiments focused on enabling Starship’s upper stage to return to the launch site. A significant number of tiles have been removed from Starship to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle during reentry. Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry. On the sides of the vehicle, functional catch fittings are installed and will test the fittings’ thermal and structural performance. The entire ship's tile line also received a smoothed and tapered edge to address hot spots observed during reentry on Starship’s sixth flight test. Starship’s reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage’s rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure.
Developmental testing by definition is unpredictable. But by putting hardware in a flight environment as frequently as possible, we’re able to quickly learn and execute design changes as we seek to bring Starship online as a fully and rapidly reusable vehicle.[8]
22 May 2025 - Mishap investigation determination[]
Return to flight determination recieved completing all require regulatory approval
15 May 2025 - launch License Approval[]
The FAA approved SpaceX's flight 9 license and on May 14th received a final mishap report, which they will now start reviewing ahead of a a return to flight.[9]
15 May 2025 - NOTMAR[]
A NOTMAR was posted delaying the launch 23:30-1:34 UTC from May 21-30
Gulf of Mexico NOTAM
NOTAM
15 May 2025 - NOTAM[]
A Gulf of Mexico NOTAM was posted for a launch 23:30-1:34 UTC from May 22-June 1
12 May 2025[]
A NOTMAR was posted delaying the launch 23:30-1:34 UTC from May 21-30
09 May 2025[]
Another NOTMAR was posted for a launch 23:30-1:34 UTC from May 20-29[10]
NOTMAR for a launch May 20-28
07 May 2025[]
A NOTAM was posted for possible debris falling 23:30-1:30 from May 13-16
Cuba NOTAM
06 May 2025[]
A new LMN posted for a launch 23:30-1:34 UTC from May 19-28[11]
NOTMAR delaying launch May 19-28
05 May 2025[]
A Local Notice to Mariner posted for a launch 23:30-1:34 UTC from May 13-23[12]
LMN for a launch May 13-23
03 May 2025[]
Indian Ocean Nav warnings
Indian Ocean reentry Nav warnings posted for 00:12-03:05 UTC from May 9-22[13]
03 April 2025 — Post static fire announcement[]
After B14 completed a static fire, SpaceX confirmed B14 would fly for a second time on Flight 9: “Static fire of the Super Heavy preparing to launch Starship's ninth flight test. This booster previously launched and returned on Flight 7 and 29 of its 33 Raptor engines are flight proven”[1]
28 February 2025 — FAA license revision[]
The revision of the FAA license for FLT-8 indicates that SpaceX is working on a Starship vehicle which is going orbital on a future flight. However, this revision doesn’t clearly indicate that S35 will be the first Starship going orbital.[14]
21 February 2025 — FCC License[]
FCC license granted for FLT-9 states that 'The first stage booster and the second stage will either return to the launch site or perform a water landing'.[15]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://x.com/spacex/status/1907876664274473132
- ↑ https://x.com/bccarcounters/status/1923499300597715245
- ↑ https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-9
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 30 May 2025: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements
- ↑ https://x.com/spacex/status/1927466188927357296
- ↑ 27.05.2025: https://x.com/spacex/status/1927491179895263259
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 27.05.2025: https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-9
- ↑ Quoted on 27 May 2025: https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-9
- ↑ https://x.com/spcplcyonline/status/1923148589565407444
- ↑ https://x.com/BCCarCounters/status/1920797472034627710
- ↑ https://x.com/BCCarCounters/status/1919672856842993908
- ↑ https://x.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1919491707571245330
- ↑ https://discordapp.com/channels/577909263012462594/732227281006755922/1368418035685134457
- ↑ https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/DRSDOCID173891218620231102140506.0001?modalOpened=true
- ↑ https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/STA_Print.cfm?mode=current&application_seq=140596&RequestTimeout=1000