SpaceX’s Starship Gears Up for Tenth Launch Amid Challenges
The ninth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship upper stage recently took to the skies, showcasing its impressive capabilities on May 27, 2025. However, about half an hour into the flight, the ground control lost connection with the upper stage. Notwithstanding this setback, conditions permitting, SpaceX has plans to press forward with another launch before the summer concludes.
The upcoming event on the SpaceX calendar is the launch of the tenth prototype of Starship, an unprecedented engineering marvel known for its sheer size and unmatched power. The anticipated timeline sets the launch approximately three weeks from the present date. This marks Starship’s fourth venture into the cosmos in this year alone.
Starship, a true spectacle of modern engineering, is a two-stage rocket; its Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage being notable for their potential for swift and complete reusability. However, the journey of flight number 10 towards the launch pad has not been without its fair share of hiccups and hairpin bends.
The original Ship upper stage chosen for the tenth mission met with an unfortunate accident. During the preliminary engine trial customary preceding the launch, it exploded at SpaceX’s Starbase site located in South Texas. This incident occurred on June 18, turning heads and raising questions about the mission’s future.
Following an in-depth investigation of the incident, SpaceX identified that the probable cause of the mishap was the malfunctioning of a pressurized nitrogen tank sited within the nosecone area of the Ship. In the wake of this development, SpaceX has shifted gears and is actively preparing an alternate Ship vehicle for the tenth flight.
Ship has had a rocky journey in the recent past, suffering a series of in-flight complications. Considerably disturbing were the loses of vehicles during Flight 7, Flight 8, and Flight 9, which were launched successively in the January, March, and May of the ongoing year.
In contrast, the performance of the Super Heavy has been relatively consistent, providing a silver lining to these setbacks. It performed admirably during both Flight 7 and Flight 8, successfully returning to the Starbase location. This was where the launch tower’s unique ‘chopstick’ arms successfully corralled the landing booster.
Flight 9 witnessed a historic event in SpaceX’s ongoing space ventures; it marked the first time Super Heavy was re-employed. The mission breathed new life into the Flight 7 booster, repurposing it for Flight 9.
In an interesting departure from the previous landing strategy, SpaceX decided not to attempt to snare the booster using the ‘chopstick’ arms during Flight 9. The booster, post-launch, disintegrated over the Gulf of Mexico region shortly after commencing its landing burn, bringing an abrupt end to its mission.
Looking to the future, SpaceX has charted out a plan centered around the ‘chopstick’ recovery technique. The aim is to utilize this method for both the Super Heavy and Ship stages. Implementing this will significantly improve the efficiency of reusing each stage, pushing closer towards SpaceX’s vision of rapid rocket reusability.