Adapted by:
Matías S. Zavia
WriterAerospace and energy industries journalist at Xataka.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
SpaceX faced some disappointment following the ninth flight of Starship, despite the notable progress made compared to previous launches. Unfortunately, the mission ended poorly for the spacecraft.
First Super Heavy rocket used. The world’s tallest rocket lifted off seven minutes late at 6:37 p.m. local time on May 27 from Starbase in Texas. The liftoff was flawless, with all 33 Raptor engines igniting simultaneously. It was the first reuse of a Super Heavy booster.
Booster 14 had previously flown during Flight 7. Although it underwent refurbishment between missions, 29 of its 33 Raptor engines were recycled from earlier flights. One engine, designated 314, launched for the third and final time, moving closer to the goal of rapid reusability for both stages of the Starship.
The refurbished Raptor 2 engines from Flight 9, including engine 314, which references the mathematical constant pi.
Disintegrated during its return. Two and a half minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft ignited its six engines and separated from the booster. SpaceX conducted its first test of a controlled spin of the Super Heavy booster to conserve fuel. The maneuver was successful.
Booster 14 then initiated a more aggressive return sequence than usual, with a higher angle of attack. Six and a half minutes after liftoff, when the booster was scheduled to ignite its engines, it exploded midair.
Given the experimental nature of the return maneuver, an explosion was a possibility, though it was considered a worst-case scenario at this stage of the flight. The data collected by SpaceX will be valuable in preventing similar incidents in the future.
Reaching space. Meanwhile, the rocket’s upper stage, Starship 35, continued on its journey, achieving a suborbital trajectory for the first time in three attempts. This trajectory took it from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
The mockups of the next-generation Starlink satellites failed to exit through the hatch.
It broke the failure streak of the previous two missions. Flight 7 experienced a harmonic response that led to propellant leaks, while Flight 8 encountered a hardware failure in a Raptor engine. Still, Starship 35 ultimately failed as well. This is the third prototype of the second-generation Starship, and unfortunately, all three have failed.
The hatch didn’t open. One key goal of this flight was to deploy eight mockups of Starlink satellites, marking the first time that Starship would have released a payload.
The deployment was scheduled to occur about 18 and a half minutes after liftoff. The test was unsuccessful because the cargo bay hatch–a mechanism SpaceX refers to as the “PEZ dispenser”–didn’t fully open. This forced the company to abandon the attempt, just as occurred during Flight 3.
Losing control. Starship lost control 30 minutes after launch. Similar to Flight 3, the spacecraft began spinning uncontrollably after SpaceX detected a leak in some of its fuel tank systems. Many of them are crucial for the vehicle’s attitude control.
As with Flight 3, SpaceX had to cancel another important experiment for this mission: the planned restart of one of the Raptor engines during mid-spaceflight. Importantly, this meant SpaceX couldn’t test the improvements made to the spacecraft’s heat shield and new ailerons.
SpaceX lost contact with Starship 35 during reentry, resulting in a mission that ended with more questions than certainties. The third second-generation Starship concluded its journey like its two predecessors did: by disintegrating.
Images | SpaceX
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