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yesterday

Leak Dooms Starship’s Ninth Test Flight After Booster Reuse

A leak that led to an uncontrolled upper-stage descent in the latest test undermines SpaceX’s goal of proving Starship’s reusability ahead of a planned 2026 Mars departure.

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Nach mehreren früheren gescheiterten Anläufen ist auch der neunte Testflug der Riesenrakete Starship des US-Raumfahrtunternehmens SpaceX missglückt. Das Kontrollzentrum habe den Kontakt mit der Rakete "offiziell vor ein paar Minuten verloren", sagte der Space-X-Verantwortliche Dan Huot.
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Overview

  • SpaceX launched the ninth Starship test from Starbase, Texas, using a Super Heavy booster recycled from the seventh flight.
  • A pressurization leak in the upper stage caused rapid engine shutdown minutes after separation, resulting in uncontrolled re-entry over the Gulf of Mexico.
  • The mission had aimed to deploy eight Starlink satellite models to validate payload release procedures during suborbital flight.
  • The FAA enforced a 1,600-nautical-mile no-fly zone around the launch site to manage safety for the latest test.
  • Despite design upgrades after earlier explosions in the seventh and eighth flights, the recurring setbacks add pressure to SpaceX’s timeline for a Mars launch by 2026.