SpaceX is preparing a new Starship launch after previous failures

SpaceX plans to conduct the ninth test launch of the Starship rocket today, May 27. The project team received permission to launch after investigating the causes of previous accidents, UNN reports with reference to Phys.org.

Details

The launch is scheduled for 23:30 GMT (02:30 May 28 Kyiv time), from the Starbase site in Texas.

It is expected that the Super Heavy booster, which has already been used before, will be reused for the first time during the ninth test flight.

It is also planned to test the deployment of Starlink satellite models and re-entry maneuvers.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has almost doubled the potential flight hazard zone, which now covers almost 1,600 nautical miles (approximately 2,963 kilometers), including part of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The 123-meter-high spacecraft is the largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built. It carries Musk's hopes of making humanity a multiplanetary species, the publication noted.

NASA is also counting on a Starship variant to serve as a landing module for the Artemis-3 pilot, a mission to return Americans to the Moon.

However, the last two tests ended with the ignition of the upper stages of the spacecraft, which caused a rain of fiery debris over the Caribbean Islands. The incident disrupted flights, leading to increased pressure on SpaceX.

The company is betting that its aggressive approach to testing and launches, which has helped it become a dominant force in commercial spaceflight, will pay off.

Reference

Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever created and is being developed for future missions to the Moon and Mars. The program envisages full reusability of all rocket components, which should reduce the cost of space flights and make them more accessible.

Recall

On March 6, 2025, during a previous SpaceX launch, the Starship rocket crashed due to a malfunction of one of the engines, which caused uncontrolled rotation and activation of the self-destruction system.

After analyzing previous failures, SpaceX made changes to the design and software of the rocket, aimed at improving the reliability of flights.