SpaceX conducted the ninth test of the super-heavy Starship rocket. The launch took place on May 27, 2025, from the Starbase spaceport in South Texas. The 122-meter-tall rocket took off successfully, and the cameras managed to capture some impressive shots.
For example, the moment the Super Heavy booster separated, the view of Earth from space, and even the flames that engulfed the first stage during reentry were captured. Footage taken from the engine bay shows the first stage falling away against the blue arc of Earth. However, both parts of Starship eventually disintegrated.
The booster used had already flown in January as part of the seventh test launch and landed successfully at base. But this time, SpaceX deliberately sent it on a “hard landing” in the Gulf of Mexico for testing. Super Heavy did not survive the maneuver and was destroyed 6 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff.
The upper stage reached space via a suborbital trajectory, but failed to make a soft landing off the coast of Australia. Thirty minutes after liftoff, the ship began spinning erratically due to a fuel leak, and 46 minutes later, all communication with it was lost. Debris fell into the Indian Ocean. Despite the failure, SpaceX considers the mission a success in terms of data collection.