SpaceX’s Starship conducted its latest test flight after a lengthy hiatus, demonstrating key advances while encountering technical setbacks. Launching from the Boca Chica facility with a boost from 33 methane-fueled Raptor 3 engines, the vehicle marked its most powerful liftoff yet, though one engine shut down prematurely during ascent.
The first stage of Starship performed its initial mission segment, activating the “hotstage” process where the upper stage ignites engines just before separation. Despite this, attempts to reignite the booster’s engines for a controlled descent failed, causing the booster to impact the Gulf of Mexico roughly rather than executing the targeted splashdown. SpaceX had deliberately avoided trying a booster catch at the tower with mechanized arms for safety reasons given the new booster design.
In contrast, the upper stage mostly met its objectives despite experiencing its own engine shutdown. Five of six upper-stage engines continued to burn, propelling Starship on a nearly global suborbital trajectory. Due to the engine issue, plans to perform an in-space engine relight—crucial for future orbital flights—were canceled to ensure safety and mission integrity.
Achieving several mission milestones, the upper stage successfully opened a narrow payload bay to release 20 Starlink satellite simulators along with two larger experimental spacecraft equipped with cameras, which captured video footage of the vehicle’s exterior during flight. After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the stage survived the intense fiery descent structurally intact and conducted a series of maneuvers above the Indian Ocean, culminating in a dual-engine relight to execute a soft water landing.
The vehicle briefly remained upright on the ocean surface before toppling over and exploding, which created a bright orange mushroom cloud. This outcome is consistent with previous experiences, as returning rockets with leftover propellant face explosion risks if they fall over after landing. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 fleet has achieved over 600 successful booster landings, but Starship remains in its early testing phase.