Starship isn't yet ready to go to Mars. Elon Musk's mega-rocket had a complicated test flight on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. While it managed to eject into space, the ship exploded in mid-flight, before its planned descent to Earth. A series of technical setbacks are to blame, after a smooth takeoff from Starbase in Texas.
As tall as a 40-story building, Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. The enthusiasm was palpable among engineers and spectators, especially since the ship reached a crucial milestone by reaching space. However, the euphoria quickly gave way to disappointment. A few minutes after takeoff, a fuel leak caused the ship to lose control, exploding over the Indian Ocean, where it was initially supposed to make a controlled descent. SpaceX referred to an “unscheduled rapid disassembly,” Elon Musk’s now-famous euphemism for an explosion.
A History of Risky Tests
This ninth test flight is part of a series of tests marked by similar incidents. In January and March 2025, Starship’s upper stages had already exploded shortly after liftoff, sending incandescent debris flying over the Caribbean. These failures, while spectacular, caused only minimal material damage.
For this latest test, SpaceX had chosen not to attempt recovery of the first stage using its mechanical arms, a maneuver that only the company has mastered. The thruster was to be used for subsequent experiments, aimed at improving the performance and reliability of the whole thing.
Why isn't this a problem?
Despite the millions of dollars put on the table for each failed attempt, SpaceX's philosophy is based on a high cadence of full-scale tests, openly accepting failures as necessary learning vectors. This approach, which has made the company's reputation, has nevertheless attracted criticism, particularly regarding the environmental impact of repeated launches near protected areas in Texas. Despite these setbacks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently authorized SpaceX to increase the frequency of Starship tests from 5 to 25 flights per year. Elon Musk has also promised that "the next three flights" will take place at a rate of approximately one every three to four weeks.
Beyond the technical challenges, Starship embodies Elon Musk's vision: to enable humanity to colonize Mars. For the SpaceX founder, this multi-planetary expansion is a necessity to ensure the survival of the human species in the event of a crisis on Earth. Starship isn't just for Mars: a modified version of the ship is also to be used in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return Americans to the Moon.
A bet on the future
One of SpaceX's major goals is to make Starship fully reusable, in order to drastically reduce the costs and resources needed to access space. The ninth flight was supposed to test this capability, but the thruster explosion is a reminder of the complexity of this ambition. However, each Starship test, even a failed one, allows SpaceX to refine its technology and get closer to its ultimate goal.
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