Starship flight test 7

This article is about the seventh flight test of the Starship+Super Heavy vehicle. For other launches of Starship, see List of Starship launches.

Starship flight test 7

Mission type	Flight test
Operator	SpaceX
Mission duration	8 minutes, 26 seconds
Range	~2,500 km (1,600 mi)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Ship 33
Spacecraft type	Starship (Block 2)
Start of mission
Launch date	January 16, 2025, 4:37 pm CST (22:37 UTC)
Rocket	Super Heavy (Block 1, B14)
Launch site	Starbase, OLP-A
End of mission
Disposal	Starship: Explosion due to internal propellant leak
Destroyed	Starship: January 16, 2025, 4:45:26 pm CST (22:45:26 UTC)
Landing date	Super Heavy: January 16, 2025, 4:42:54 pm CST (22:42:54 UTC)
Landing site	Super Heavy: Starbase, OLP-A
Orbital parameters
Regime	Transatmospheric Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	−3,170 km (−1,970 mi)
Apogee altitude	146 km (91 mi)
Inclination	26.4°
Mission patch SpaceX Starship flight tests

Starship flight test 7 was the seventh flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. Flight 7 lifted off from Orbital Launch Pad A (OLP-A) on January 16, 2025, at 22:37:00 UTC (4:37 pm CST, local time) at the Starbase launch site in Texas. The prototype vehicles flown were Booster 14, a Block 1 vehicle, and Ship 33, the first Block 2 upper stage, which introduced upgrades in structure, avionics, and other systems. The mission was to follow a trajectory similar to the previous flight, with a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean about an hour after liftoff, to be imaged by a NASA observation aircraft. It also tested a new Starlink satellite deployment system.

However, during Ship 33’s initial burn, its engines experienced premature shutdowns, followed by a total loss of telemetry. The vehicle was observed exploding over the Turks and Caicos Islands, likely due to a fuel leak. This incident prompted regional airspace closures lasting over an hour and triggered an FAA-required mishap investigation. Booster 14 successfully returned to the launch site and was caught by the "chopstick" arms on the launch tower at OLP-A, making it the second booster recovered, after Booster 12 during flight test 5.

Background

Vehicle testing ahead of launch

Ship 33, a Block 2 Starship, flew on flight 7. In October 2024, Ship 33 underwent cryogenic testing. Its counterpart, Booster 14, also underwent cryogenic testing in October. Booster 14 rolled out to OLP-1 and conducted a successful spin prime test and static fire in early December. It then returned to the production site for final pre-flight modifications. Ship 33 also underwent a combination of spin prime and static fire tests later in the month. On January 10, S33 and B14 performed a wet dress rehearsal.

After having previously supported Booster 12 during flight 5, engine #314 was reflown on Booster 14.

NASA imaging of Starship

For this launch, NASA planned to use a specially equipped Gulfstream V aircraft (N95NA) to capture images of the Starship's re-entry and peak-heating. The aircraft was positioned to observe the spacecraft as it would emerge over the horizon and splash down in the eastern Indian Ocean in the early morning hours. To ensure optimal imaging conditions, the aircraft must fly with its exterior and interior lights extinguished. This poses significant safety risks, requiring a waiver from aviation authorities and stringent procedures to prevent other aircraft from entering the flight path.

NASA requested an expedited waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to commence practice flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Southwest Texas in early December. Subsequently, the aircraft was flown to Perth, Australia on January 3 for additional practice flights in the actual landing zone, ahead of the targeted Flight Test 7 on January 16, 2025. If the FAA approved the waiver, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority had indicated its willingness to honor the exemption, allowing for both practice flights and the imaging flight during Flight Test 7.

Mission profile

The mission profile for flight test 7 was expected to be similar to the previous launch, targeting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Had the mission proceeded further, it would have attempted an in-space engine relight, and deploy ten demisable Starlink "simulators," which were also expected to reenter over the Indian Ocean.

Flight timeline

Time	Event	January 16, 2025
−01:15:00	Flight director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading	Go for propellant loading
−00:45:54	Starship oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start	Success
−00:43:00	Starship fuel (liquid methane) load start	Success
−00:41:24	Super Heavy fuel (liquid methane) load start	Success
−00:35:28	Super Heavy oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start	Success
−00:19:40	Super Heavy and Starship engine chill	Success
−00:03:20	Starship propellant load complete	Success
−00:02:50	Super Heavy propellant load complete	Success
−00:00:30	Flight director verifies go for launch	Go for launch
−00:00:10	Flame deflector activation	Success
−00:00:03	Super Heavy engine ignition	Success
+00:00:02	Liftoff	Success
+00:01:02	Throttle down for max q during ascent (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)	Success
+00:02:32	Super Heavy most engines cutoff (MECO)	Success
+00:02:40	Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging)	Success
+00:02:46	Super Heavy boostback burn start	Partial failure 12 out of 13 engines ignited
+00:03:29	Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown	Success
+00:03:31	Hot-stage jettison	Success
+00:06:26	Super Heavy is transonic	—
+00:06:35	Super Heavy landing burn start	Success All 13 engines ignited
+00:06:54	Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and catch	Success
+00:08:53	Starship engine cutoff (SECO)	Failure Engines began to fail at T+07:39, Ship exploded at ~T+08:26
+00:17:33	Starlink simulator satellites deploy demo	—
+00:37:33	Raptor in-space relight demo	—
+00:47:25	Starship atmospheric reentry	—
+01:03:12	Starship is transonic	—
+01:04:25	Starship is subsonic	—
+01:06:12	Starship landing flip	—
+01:06:18	Starship landing burn	—
+01:06:38	Starship splashdown	—
Source: SpaceX

Mission outcome

During the Ship’s initial burn, a series of cascading engine shutdowns occurred, culminating in a total loss of telemetry shortly before the planned cutoff.

Ship 33 (S33) was equipped with six Raptor engines: three 'center' and three 'outboard' and separated from Booster 14 (B14) at T+2:40. The first engine failure occurred at T+7:40 when one center engine shut down. This was followed by the failure of a second center engine at T+8:02 and an adjacent outboard engine at T+8:04. At T+8:18, another outboard engine shut down, and by T+8:24, the final center engine had failed. Transmissions from the vehicle were lost at T+8:26, at an altitude of 146 kilometers (91 mi), 27 seconds before the planned engine shutdown. Simultaneously, Ship 33 was seen exploding over the Turks and Caicos Islands, prompting airspace closures in the region for over an hour. The debris likely reentered over the ocean north of Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands around 22:49 UTC. The FAA ordered SpaceX to perform a mishap investigation into the breakup, grounding Starship until the inquiry was complete.

Despite Ship 33's failure, Booster 14 successfully returned to the launch site. It was caught by the chopsticks on OLP-A, making it the second booster successfully recovered, following Booster 12 on Flight 5.

After the mission, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that a propellant leak was the probable cause of Ship 33's failure: "Preliminary indications suggest an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall, which was substantial enough to build pressure beyond the venting capacity."