SpaceX launched its ninth Starship test flight from Texas on Tuesday, reaching further than previous attempts, but soon suffered a critical failure about 30 minutes in due to a suspected fuel leak, causing the rocket to spin out of control and break apart over the Indian Ocean.
This test was the first to use a recycled booster, which failed to make a controlled splashdown, crashing into the Gulf of Mexico after contact was lost. The mission aimed to deploy mock satellites and test critical systems, including heat shield and aerodynamic flaps, which were canceled due to a malfunction of the deployment mechanism.
Despite the setback, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk framed the flight as a “big improvement” over earlier tests. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recently cleared Starship for flight after nearly two months of investigation following previous mishaps, expanded the hazard zones for Tuesday’s launch and approved an increase in annual Starship flights from five to 25.
