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SpaceX's latest Starship test flight, conducted on May 27, ended in failure after the spacecraft spun out of control and broke apart before crashing into the Indian Ocean. This marked the third consecutive failed test for the vehicle that Elon Musk hopes will one day transport humans to Mars.
Launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the ninth test was a crucial step in Elon Musk's long-term ambition to make life multiplanetary. However, about 30 minutes after take-off, the spacecraft began to spiral uncontrollably due to a fuel leak. According to SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot, "We did spring a leak in some of the fuel tank systems inside of Starship, which a lot of those are used for your attitude control."
Mission control confirmed the failure, stating the Starship experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly," a term also used to describe previous failures in January and March. The vehicle had successfully reached space but failed to open its payload door, aborting plans to deploy mock satellites. The intense heat during re-entry caused the vessel to disintegrate, with debris scattering across the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX acknowledged the setback but emphasized the value of the data collected. "With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today's test will help us improve Starship's reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary," the company stated on X.
A notable change in this launch was the renewed use of the Super Heavy booster, which was expected to perform a soft landing. Instead, it crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX explained this was a precaution to "maximize the safety of launch infrastructure at Starbase."
This latest failure adds to the mounting pressure on Musk, who recently stepped back from politics to refocus on his businesses. "I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics," Musk admitted in an interview, noting that his focus has now shifted back to SpaceX, Tesla, and X.
Despite these challenges, Musk remains optimistic. "Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight!" he posted on X, framing the incident as progress.
NASA is closely watching these developments, as Starship is essential to future lunar missions. With more tests scheduled every few weeks, the pressure is on for Musk's space ambitions to finally take flight.
