Musk: Starship Could Fly Again Next Week After Back-to-Back Explosions

Hulking spacecraft nears a return to action, the SpaceX CEO says.

Jack Daleo

Friday, May 16, 2025 at 07:30 AM ET

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Jack Daleo

Starship Flight 9 could see SpaceX attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster, a feat it has achieved on three of its past four test flights. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's Starship rocket is preparing for its ninth test flight, which CEO Elon Musk suggests could launch as early as next week, despite previous test flights in January and March resulting in explosions.
Key objectives for the upcoming flight likely include attempting to catch the Super Heavy booster for reusability, achieving an on-orbit engine relight, and demonstrating a successful Starship reentry and splashdown.
These tests are crucial for SpaceX's ambitious plans, such as increasing launch cadence from Starbase, developing the Starship Human Landing System for NASA's Artemis III lunar mission, and proving its capability for crewed flights by mid-2027.

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SpaceX’s colossal Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster—which stand nearly as tall as the Great Pyramid of Giza when stacked—could fly again as soon as next week, according to CEO Elon Musk.

Musk made the prediction Tuesday in a post on social media platform X, replying to SpaceX’s post that Starship completed static fire engine testing and is “undergoing final preparations for the ninth flight test.”