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Starship flight test 9

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

Starship flight test 9
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorSpaceX
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftStarship Ship 35
Spacecraft typeStarship (Block 2)
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch dateNET May 27, 2025, 23:30:00 UTC (6:30 pm CDT)
RocketSuper Heavy (Block 2, B14-2)
Launch siteStarbase, OLP-A
End of mission
Landing site

Starship flight test 9 will be the ninth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. Ship 35 and Booster 14-2 will fly on this test flight. This flight is expected to occur no earlier than (NET) May 27, 2025 at 23:30 UTC (6:30 pm CDT, local time at the launch site).[1] The Ship will attempt to achieve the objectives originally planned for Flights 7 and 8, which both failed. This mission's booster, the first Super Heavy to re-fly, is slated to undergo experiments in-flight to have its capabilities assessed under off-nominal flight conditions,[2] and will splash down instead of being caught.[3][4]

Background

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Vehicle testing ahead of launch

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Ship 35

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Ship 35 was assembled in Mega Bay 2,[5] with the configuration of its heat shield hinting at catch hardware.[6] Ship 35 then underwent 3 rounds of cryo testing at Massey's Test Site on March 11 and 12 and was rolled back to the production site on March 13.[7] It was rolled out to Massey's for static fire on April 29.[8] A static fire attempt on April 29 was scrubbed for an unknown reason during propellant loading.[9] The test was completed on April 30,[10] simulating an "in-space burn" using a single engine.[11] Following a scrubbed attempt earlier in the day, it underwent a second, long duration static fire on May 1.[12] However, according to NASASpaceflight, this static fire did not follow the trend seen previously during Ship 34's static fire, with Ship 35 experiencing an abnormal shutdown around the T+36 second mark.[13] SpaceX has yet to confirm the issue seen during this static fire publicly. Ship 35 was then rolled back to Mega Bay 2 on May 2 for inspection and returned to Massey's on May 10.[14] A static fire attempt on May 11 was scrubbed right after the deluge system activated,[15] subsequently Ship 35 successfully completed a 6 engine long duration static fire (64 seconds), the longest ship static fire seen to date, on May 12.[16] It rolled back to Mega Bay 2 on May 13.[17]

Ship 35 then rolled back to Masseys on May 21,[18] and attempted to conduct testing on May 22, with the first attempt being scrubbed[19] and a subsequent attempt being conducted later the same day.[20]

Booster 14

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B14 was rolled back to Mega Bay 1 for refurbishment on January 18,[21] following its use on Flight 7.[22] It rolled to OLP-A on April 1, where it conducted a static fire test on April 3.[23] Following this test, SpaceX confirmed B14's assignment, as well as stating that 29 of its 33 engines had previously flown.[24] Booster 14 returned to the production site on April 8.[25] Its Hot Staging Ring (HSR) was moved to Mega Bay 1 on April 16 and installed on April 17.[26] B14 subsequently rolled from Mega Bay 1 to OLP-A on May 12.[27] B14 was then destacked from OLP-A on May 16, and rolled back to Mega Bay 1 on May 17.[28]

Impact of Flights 7 and 8

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After Flight 6, Elon Musk stated that Flight 8 could be the first 'catch' of the Ship should Flight 7's landing be successful.[29] Due to the failure of S33 to complete its ascent burn, this was delayed to a later mission,[30] along with the likely required insertion burn into low Earth orbit.[31] Before Flight 8, Flight 9 was expected to feature the first ship catch attempt,[32] with FCC permits for Flight 9 stating the potential for a catch.[33] However, Flight 8 also failed during the ascent burn, delaying the ship catch to a future mission.[34] The FAA determined that the failure of Flight 8 did not impact public safety on May 22.[35] Besides conducting Ship and Booster static fire tests at Starbase, SpaceX extensively tested individual Raptor 2 engines for longer durations at their McGregor facility to address and mitigate the issues found in Flight 8, among other tests.[36]

Return to Flight

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On May 15, the FAA confirmed they had approved license modifications for Flight 9, with SpaceX having submitted their mishap report for Flight 8 on May 13.[37] The FAA then confirmed on May 22 that they had reviewed the mishap report submitted by SpaceX and authorised Starship to return to flight by issuing a Return to Flight Determination.[38] The mishap report for Flight 8 remains open.

Mission Profile

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The mission profile for flight test 9 will be similar to that of the previous flight, targeting a splashdown in the Indian Ocean along with the deplyoment of eight intentionally destructible Starlink "simulators" which were also expected to reenter over the Indian Ocean.[2] However, the booster will not attempt a catch, instead splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico after multiple experiments during descent, including deliberately not igniting one of the center engines for the landing burn.[2]

Flight timeline

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Time Event May 27, 2025
−01:15:00 Flight director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading Planned
−00:51:37 Starship oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start Planned
−00:45:20 Starship fuel (liquid methane) load start Planned
−00:41:37 Super Heavy fuel (liquid methane) load start Planned
−00:35:52 Super Heavy oxidizer (liquid oxygen) load start Planned
−00:19:40 Super Heavy and Starship engine chill Planned
−00:03:20 Starship propellant load complete Planned
−00:02:50 Super Heavy propellant load complete Planned
−00:00:30 Flight director verifies go for launch Planned
−00:00:10 Flame deflector activation Planned
−00:00:03 Super Heavy engine ignition Planned
+00:00:02 Liftoff Planned
+00:01:02 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) Planned
+00:02:35 Super Heavy most engines cutoff (MECO) Planned
+00:02:37 Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging) Planned
+00:02:47 Super Heavy boostback burn start Planned
+00:03:27 Super Heavy boostback burn shutdown Planned
+00:03:29 Hot-stage jettison Planned
+00:06:19 Super Heavy landing burn start Planned
+00:06:40 Super Heavy landing burn shutdown Planned
+00:08:56 Starship engine cutoff (SECO) Planned
+00:18:26 Starlink simulator satellites deploy demo Planned
+00:37:49 Raptor in-space relight demo Planned
+00:47:50 Starship atmospheric reentry Planned
+01:03:11 Starship is transonic Planned
+01:04:26 Starship is subsonic Planned
+01:06:11 Starship landing flip Planned
+01:06:16 Starship landing burn Planned
+01:06:38 Starship splashdown Planned
Source: SpaceX[39]

References

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  1. ^ "Starship-Super Heavy Block 2 | Starship Flight 9". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Starship's Ninth Flight Test". SpaceX. May 22, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  3. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 16, 2025). No Catch on Starship Flight 9? - The Flame Trench. Retrieved May 16, 2025 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Beil, Adrian (May 16, 2025). "Looking at the modification for the SpaceX Launch License for the 9th Flight of Starship. TLDR: SpaceX is most likely, not going for a catch on Flight 9 of Starship, unless the launch license is modified again. Here is a thread:". Twitter. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  5. ^ NASASpaceflight (February 3, 2025). Pad B's Major Milestones: Chopsticks, Tank Farm, and Flame Trench Developments | Starbase Update. Retrieved February 4, 2025 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ NASASpaceflight (December 11, 2024). Primed To Fire and Rolled Back | SpaceX Boca Chica. Retrieved January 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Priel, Elisar (March 13, 2025). "Starship S35 has been rolled back home to Mega Bay 2 at the Starbase Production Site after 3 rounds of cryo testing at Massey's in the last few days". Twitter. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  8. ^ Starship Gazer (April 29, 2025). "Starship 35 has rolled out overnight to Massey's test site for upcoming long duration static fire testing ahead of Starship test flight 9". Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  9. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 29, 2025). SCRUB: SpaceX Performs Static Fire of Ship 35 in Preparation for Starship Flight 9. Retrieved April 30, 2025 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 30, 2025). SpaceX is Testing Ship 35 in Preparation for Starship Flight 9. Event occurs at 23:00. Retrieved May 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "The Starship preparing for our ninth flight test completed a single engine static fire demonstrating an in-space burn". Twitter. May 1, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  12. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 28, 2025). DOUBLE HEADER: Ship 35 Static Fire and Falcon 9 Launches Starlink 6-75. Event occurs at 1:07:40. Retrieved May 2, 2025 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 5, 2025). Ship 35 Under Inspection After Anomaly; Pad B Launch Mount Nearly Ready. Event occurs at 14:04. Retrieved May 8, 2025 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Priel, Elisar (May 10, 2025). "Just over a week after its last trip, Starship S35 made the trip back to Masseys from Mega Bay 2, for some bonus static fire testing, before it get the go ahead to proceed to the launch site for Flight 9, potentially later this month". X (tweeter). Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  15. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 11, 2025). SpaceX Reattempts the Static Fire of Ship 35. Retrieved May 11, 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 12, 2025). DOUBLE HEADER: Flight 9 Ship Tested as Pad B Launch Mount Lifted. Retrieved May 12, 2025 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ 3.5K views · 146 reactions | Following its 3 day trip to Masseys for a successful static fire test, Starship S35 rolled back to the Production Site, & into MB2 for final pre flight... | By NASASpaceflight.com | Facebook. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via www.facebook.com.
  18. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 21, 2025). Starship 35 Rolls to Masseys for Testing. Retrieved May 21, 2025 – via Youtube.
  19. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 22, 2025). SCRUB: SpaceX Performs Engine Testing of Ship 35. Retrieved May 22, 2025 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 22, 2025). SpaceX Performs Engine Testing of Ship 35. Retrieved May 22, 2025 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ NASASpaceflight (January 19, 2025). The Starbase That Never Sleeps | SpaceX Boca Chica. Retrieved January 20, 2025 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ NASASpaceflight (January 9, 2025). SpaceX Launches Starship Flight 7 and Attempts Another Booster Catch. Retrieved January 17, 2025 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 3, 2025). SpaceX Performs Static Fire of Flight-Proven Super Heavy Booster. Retrieved April 3, 2025 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "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". Twitter. April 3, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  25. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 9, 2025). Post Static Fire, Booster 14 Rolls Back for More Preps | SpaceX Boca Chica. Event occurs at 10:41. Retrieved April 10, 2025 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 19, 2025). "They're Moving Pretty Quickly There" | SpaceX Boca Chica. Retrieved April 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 12, 2025). Booster 14-2 Rolls to Launch Pad & Falcon 9 Launches Starlink 6-83 Mission. Retrieved May 12, 2025 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ NASASpaceflight (May 17, 2025). "What in the heck are they up to now?" | SpaceX Starbase. Event occurs at 10:40. Retrieved May 18, 2025 – via YouTube.
  29. ^ Musk, Elon [@elonmusk] (November 19, 2024). "Successful ocean landing of Starship! We will do one more ocean landing of the ship. If that goes well, then SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower" (Tweet). Retrieved November 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Clark, Stephen (January 17, 2025). "Fire destroys Starship on its seventh test flight, raining debris from space". Ars Technica. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  31. ^ Starship's Most Daring Flight Yet!. NASASpaceflight. November 22, 2024. Event occurs at 6:20. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via YouTube. A ship catch attempt on Flight 8 would mean that Starship will have to go into Orbit in order to return all the way back to Starbase.
  32. ^ Weber, Ryan (February 7, 2025). "Starbase making progress on second launch pad". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  33. ^ "Super Heavy booster issue causes scrub of SpaceX's Starship Flight 8 – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  34. ^ NASASpaceflight (March 4, 2025). SpaceX Starship Flight 8 - Second Attempt. Event occurs at 3:29:00. Retrieved March 7, 2025 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ Beil, Adrian (May 22, 2025). "The @FAANews has given the go for flight 9 of Starship". Twitter. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  36. ^ SpaceX (May 23, 2025). "FLY. LEARN. REPEAT".
  37. ^ FAA (May 15, 2025). "FAA Statement on SpaceX Starship Flight 9 License Approval". Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  38. ^ FAA (May 22, 2025). "FAA Approves SpaceX Starship Vehicle Return to Flight". Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  39. ^ "Starship's Eighth Flight Test". SpaceX.com. February 27, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
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