SpaceX Starship rocket launches 9th test flight after last 2 attempts ended in explosions
Liftoff of SpaceX's ninth flight test of its Starship spacecraft happened just after 7:30 p.m. ET from SpaceX's Starbase headquarters in Boca Chica, Texas. The massive launch vehicle marked the ninth Starship launch and the third this year.
"An incredible flight test so far today," Jessie Anderson, senior production engineering manager at SpaceX, said on a livestream. "Ship is in its orbital trajectory."
SpaceX communications specialist Dan Hewitt replied: "What a moment. I need to collect myself."
The last Starship flight test in March was not as successful, with the gargantuan rocket breaking up and sending fiery debris across the sky. Still, SpaceX said progress was made during the launch when the ship's rocket booster was caught by giant mechanical arms known as chopsticks. It was the second time in a row the booster catch went as planned, and third time overall.
This time around the booster catch was not attempted as SpaceX said it prioritizes the acceleration and development of CEO Elon Musk's plans for Starship to reach Mars. The team lost connection with its the booster, which had been expected to land in the Gulf of America.
The Jan. 16 Starship test flight also ended in an explosion that SpaceX later said was caused by propellant leaks and fires in the aft section of the vehicle, commonly referred to as the attic.
Federal Aviation Administration greenlit another Starship flight test on May 22 after SpaceX completed its investigation into the March 6 launch. The FAA said SpaceX completed "all of the rigorous safety, environmental and other licensing requirements" for another go-ahead.
Starship is SpaceX's gargantuan rocket and vehicle designed to one day be fully reusable transportation system that can return to the ground for additional missions. In the years ahead, Starship is intended to carry both cargo and humans into Earth's orbit and deeper into the cosmos.
NASA's lunar exploration plans, which appear to be in jeopardy under President Donald Trump's proposed budget, call for Artemis III astronauts aboard the Orion capsule to board the Starship while in orbit for a ride to the moon's surface.
But Musk is more preoccupied with Starship reaching Mars – potentially, he has claimed, by the end of 2026. Under his vision, human expeditions aboard the Starship could then follow in the years after the first uncrewed spacecraft reaches the Red Planet.
During the eighth launch test on March 6, flight operators lost contact with the upper portion of Starship, which exploded less than 10 minutes into the flight, creating debris visible from Florida to the Caribbean.
Despite the failure of the Starship vehicle, the spacecraft's rocket booster managed to navigate back to the launch pad for the second time in a row, and third time overall. The maneuver, first completed in October 2024, involves SpaceX catching the booster with giant mechanical arms known as chopsticks.
Starship is regarded as the world's largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever developed. At more than 400 feet tall, Starship towers over SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket – one of the world's most active – which stands at nearly 230 feet.
The launch vehicle is composed of both a 232-foot Super Heavy rocket and the 171-foot upper stage spacecraft.
Super Heavy alone is powered by 33 of SpaceX's Raptor engines. The upper section, also called Starship or Ship for short, is the upper stage powered by six Raptor engines that will ultimately travel in orbit.
Anthony Robledo covers national trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him arobledo@usatoday.com
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SpaceX Starship rocket launches after last 2 flight tests exploded
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