SpaceX's IFT-9 mission showed both progress and stagnation for the Starship program. The booster, reused from IFT-7 with 29 of its 33 Raptor engines, exploded just before landing in the designated water area, possibly due to higher forces from an aggressive return trajectory. All booster engines functioned during relights and shutdowns until the final deceleration burn, where 1 of 13 failed to relight.
Speed Comparison
![Speed [km_h] x Seconds [s] (2).png](https://images.ecency.com/p/5s4dzRwnVbzGY5ssnCE4wXzkeAEXyVtgk1ApQTwHMTp6y5PvEo1yenn8hhqAGvzBDX24qf7PbFVmd7GVSeYDWP8gwjWrWdPX36gSbFjujReXBZo916hsCvcrMh5mCTqWStpSLr2wLHBhxDdSr9PknqAbTQwCBcJ5qG8fHQr.png?format=match&mode=fit)
Altitude Comparison
![Altitude [km] x Seconds [s] (2).png](https://images.ecency.com/p/5s4dzRwnVbzGY5ssnCE4wXzkeAEXyVtgk1ApQTwHMTp6y5PvEo1yenn8hhqAGvzBDX24qf7PbGAVmw1jz1XbQ82J8y6FUC6VfKKFEjyA7oALGdeRLFr41ho9obDqbjqQYNiU3P7DxhR4gfZqrCzQ2yjViGLi8bwBduuDvdk.png?format=match&mode=fit)
The ship survived engine shutdown this time, unlike in IFT-7 and IFT-8, but faced early issues. Unspecified venting, potentially indicating a plumbing failure, was observed, followed by hot spots on one Raptor vacuum engine. Post-shutdown, the ship rotated along the yaw axis, possibly due to an ullage pressure drop from the leak affecting steering. The Starlink simulator deployment failed again due to a door malfunction, and a key objective—testing the heat tiles, as highlighted by Elon Musk in an interview with Tim Dodd - could not be achieved.
Got to catch up with @elonmusk for a few minutes before today's launch! We were going to chat after today's speech, but unfortunately that changed, but, always happy to talk rockets!!! Join our Flight 9 coverage in 15 minutes!! Best of luck today @SpaceX!!! pic.twitter.com/KJNEtiyJ2d
— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) May 27, 2025
Flight Trajectory Comparison
- Booster V1 + Ship V1 (IFT-3 to IFT-6):
- Average Speed @ MECO: 5,455 km/h
- Average Altitude @ MECO: 66 km
- Booster V2 + Ship V2 (IFT-7 to IFT-9):
- Average Speed @ MECO: 4,499 km/h
- Average Altitude @ MECO: 62 km
MECO (Main Engine Cutoff) occurred at 160 seconds from IFT-5 to IFT-9. Ship V2’s larger, heavier design results in lower speed and altitude as the booster expends more energy.
Starship Program Timeline
| Test | Date | Days Elapsed | Version Booster | Version Ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFT-1 | 20.04.23 | - | V1 - B7 | V1 - S24 |
| IFT-2 | 18.11.23 | 212 | V1 - B9 | V1 - S25 |
| IFT-3 | 14.03.24 | 117 | V1 - B10 | V1 - S28 |
| IFT-4 | 06.06.24 | 84 | V1 - B11 | V1 - S29 |
| IFT-5 | 13.10.24 | 129 | V1 - B12 | V1 - S30 |
| IFT-6 | 19.11.24 | 37 | V1 - B13 | V1 - S31 |
| IFT-7 | 16.01.25 | 58 | V2 - B14(1) | V2 - S33 |
| IFT-8 | 06.03.25 | 49 | V2 - B15 | V2 - S34 |
| IFT-9 | 27.03.25 | 82 | V2 - B14(2) | V2 - S35 |
Starship Specifications
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Stack | |
| Height | 123 m |
| Diameter | 9 m |
| Payload Capacity (Reusable) | 100–150 t |
| Starship Spacecraft | |
| Height | 52 m |
| Diameter | 9 m |
| Super Heavy Booster | |
| Height | 71 m |
| Diameter | 9 m |
Source: SpaceX Starship Overview
Remaining Milestones for Starship
- Launch: ✅
- Stage separation: ✅
- Orbit: Almost (reached orbital velocity but slightly below orbit for controlled reentry)
- Bellyflop: ✅
- Safe booster landing: ✅
- Booster reuse: ✅
- Reentry without damage: ❌ (flap damage, heat shields fell off)
- Safe ship landing: ❌
- Ship reuse: ❌
- In-orbit refueling: ❌
- Leaving low Earth orbit (LEO): ❌
- Human life support: ❌
- Moon/Mars return & landing: ❌
- Lift off from Moon/Mars: ❌
Looking Forward
Elon Musk is hoping for the next 3 flights to happen every 3 to 4 weeks. The FAA might not require a mishap report for IFT9, which puts the ball into SpaceX' court. In that case, it will depend on how long it takes the teams to localize and fix the failures.
Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight! Also, no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 28, 2025
Leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase. Lot of good data to review.
Launch cadence for…
Sources: SpaceX IFT-9 Mission Overview, Wikipedia Starship Flight Test 9
Tim Dodd was lucky enough to get three guided tours around Starbase by Elon Musk:
Tour 2024:
- First Look Inside SpaceX's Starfactory w/ Elon Musk
- Join Elon Musk on a tour of Starship just before it launches! (w/ post launch interview)
Tour 2022:
- 2022 Elon Musk Explains Updates To Starship And Starbase!
- Go up SpaceX's Starship-catching robotic launch tower with Elon Musk!
- Elon Musk Explains SpaceX's Merlin Engine!
- Elon Musk Explains SpaceX's Raptor Engine!
Tour 2021:
- Starbase Tour with Elon Musk [PART 1 // Summer 2021]
- Starbase Tour with Elon Musk [PART 2 // Summer 2021]
- Starbase Launchpad Tour with Elon Musk [PART 3 // Summer 2021]
Further information
StarshipGazer.com: Useful Starship links
Background information about previous SpaceX launches: Wikipedia
FAA: SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Project at the Boca Chica Launch Site
FAA: Licensed Launches
Starship OFT flight plan
Lex Fridman: Starship: The most powerful rocket ever made | Tim Dodd and Lex Fridman
SpaceX Starship Explosive Potential, and Big Bang Theory
Tim Dodd made a video contrasting Starship V1 and V2:
What's new with Flight 7's massively upgraded Starship?!?
Tim Dodd: How SpaceX Is Upgrading Raptor To Be The Ultimate Rocket Engine!