The failure marks the third consecutive Starship mission to end unsuccessfully
SpaceX’s ninth test flight of its Starship rocket ended in failure on Tuesday, after the vehicle spun out of control and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean.
The uncrewed rocket launched from the company’s Texas base at 6:36 p.m. local time but encountered multiple issues during the mission. The Super Heavy booster exploded during descent, while the upper stage suffered a propellant leak that caused it to lose orientation before breaking apart during re-entry.
The failure marks the third consecutive Starship mission to end unsuccessfully, and while no injuries occurred, the incident underscores the high-risk nature of Elon Musk’s space ambitions.
Starship is SpaceX’s most ambitious project yet. Standing 120 metres tall, it is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. But what truly sets it apart is its purpose: to carry humans to Mars and back. Starship is designed to be fully reusable – unlike traditional rockets, which are discarded after use, making it central to Musk’s plan for cost-efficient interplanetary travel.
But repeated failures raise serious questions about how soon that future might arrive. With three test failures in 2025 alone, the timeline for human missions to Mars looks increasingly shaky. Analysts have noted that each failed test pushes the programme’s readiness further down the line, delaying SpaceX’s broader goals – including NASA’s plan to use Starship for its Artemis Moon mission.
There’s also growing speculation that Musk’s political entanglements – from his vocal involvement in U.S. presidential politics to hosting controversial figures on X (formerly Twitter) and making questionable hand gestures – may be distracting him from SpaceX’s core engineering priorities. Investors may be wondering: is the CEO spreading himself too thin?
For now, SpaceX says it will continue its rapid testing model. But if setbacks continue, both timelines and investor confidence may falter. Steve reed applauded the fines, saying labour is cleaning rivers, but someone replied who is going to pay for this?
