Starship flight test 10

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This article is about the tenth flight test of the Starship+Super Heavy vehicle. For other launches of Starship, see List of Starship launches.
Starship flight test 10
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorSpaceX
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftShip 37
Spacecraft typeStarship (Block 2)
ManufacturerSpaceX
Start of mission
Launch dateNET mid-August, 2025
RocketSuper Heavy (Block 2, B16-1)[1]
Launch siteStarbase, OLP-1
End of mission
Landing site

Starship flight test 10 will be the tenth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. Booster 16 and most likely Ship 37 will fly on this test flight.[2][3] As of mid-July 2025, the flight profile is unknown, but expected to be similar to the previous three flights.[4] The launch was initially expected no earlier than (NET) June 29, 2025,[5] but has been significantly delayed due to the loss of Ship 36 in a testing anomaly. The current launch date is mid-August, 2025.[6]

Background

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Impact of Flights 7, 8 and 9

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SpaceX has suffered a succession of flight test failures since Flight 7.[7][8] During the ascent burn on Flight 7, sustained fires in Starship's aft section led to the loss of several engines and the eventual destruction of the vehicle.[9][10] An internal investigation identified propellant leaks caused by strong harmonic oscillations as the probable root cause.

During the ascent burn on Flight 8, an explosion in Starship's aft section led to the loss of several engines and subsequent vehicle termination.[11] An internal investigation identified a hardware failure on one of the central Raptor engines as the probable root cause.[12]

During Flight 9, Starship reached its intended trajectory but experienced multiple failures afterward, including a loss of attitude control. Subsequently, the vehicle was passivated, most flight objectives were abandoned, and the vehicle disintegrated upon reentry.[7][8] An FAA-ordered investigation into the flight remains open.[13]

Vehicle testing ahead of launch

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Ship 36

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Ship 36 was assembled in Mega Bay 2 throughout February and March 2025.[14] It was rolled out to the Massey's test site for cryogenic testing on April 26.[15][16] It conducted a full cryogenic test on April 27.[17] It was rolled back to Mega Bay 2 for engine installation on April 29.[18] It was rolled out to the Massey's test site on June 15, followed by conducting a single engine 6 second duration static fire on June 16.[19][20] As propellant was being loaded for static fire testing on June 18, Ship 36 exploded, resulting in severe damage to the Massey's test site.[21]

Ship 37

[edit]

S37's payload bay and nosecone were moved into Mega Bay 2 on March 15.[22] Its CH4 transfer tubes were moved into MB2 in mid April.[23] On May 29, S37 was rolled to Massey's for cryogenic testing.[24] After completing these tests, it returned to Mega Bay 2 on June 4.[25] On July 28, 2025, S37 was rolled to the launch site for a static fire,[26] where it was lifted onto Pad 1.[27] S37 then completed a single engine, 6 second duration static fire on July 31.[28] It then completed a 9 seconds duration static fire of all its 6 engines on August 1st.

Booster 16

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Booster 16 (B16) conducted a cryogenic test on February 28,[29] before being rolled back to the production site on March 20 for engine installation.[30] It rolled out to the launch site on June 3 for static fire testing.[31] On June 5, it aborted an attempted static fire test,[32] before completing the thirty three engine static fire on June 6.[33] It was then lifted off the orbital launch mount (OLM) on June 7 and rolled back to MB1 on June 8.[34]

Impact of Ship 36 explosion

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Ahead of a static fire test at the Massey's test site on June 18, Ship 36 experienced a major anomaly resulting in an explosion and total loss of the vehicle.[35][21] Initial analysis indicated that a nitrogen COPV located in the vehicle's nosecone burst below its rated pressure, which in turn led to the destruction of the vehicle.[36] Fires sparked by the anomaly continued burning at the test site for several hours.

Due to the loss of Ship 36, Ship 37 will fly on flight 10 instead.

References

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  1. ^ NASASpaceflight (June 2, 2025). "SECO Achieved + Elon Musk's 2026 Mars Plan! | Starbase Update". Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Weber, Ryan (January 29, 2025). "Following Flight 7 SpaceX line up future Starships". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  3. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 21, 2025). Starship Flight 9 Preps, Chopstick Testing, and Pad B Progress | Starbase Update. Event occurs at 4:10. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Raptorside Replay: April 3rd, 2025". YouTube. April 3, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  5. ^ ""Starship Test Flight 10 scheduled for June 29th, 2025"". X (formerly Twitter). June 18, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  6. ^ ""Tracking to launch Starship mid August"". X. August 1, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship Explodes Again But Orbits For 46 Minutes". Forbes.com. May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "EAfter back-to-back explosions, new SpaceX mega rocket Starship tumbles out of control and breaks into pieces". Fortune.com. May 27, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  9. ^ "New Year. New Ship. New Lessons". SpaceX.com. February 24, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  10. ^ Dunn, Marcia (January 16, 2025). "SpaceX Suspects Fire During Starship Flight 7 Linked to Pressure Issues". Associated Press. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  11. ^ Wall, Mike (March 7, 2025). "Watch fiery SpaceX Starship Flight 8 debris rain down over The Bahamas (video)". Space.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  12. ^ FAA (June 12, 2025). "FAA Closes SpaceX Starship Flight 8 Mishap Investigation". FAA. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  13. ^ "FAA Requires Mishap Investigation for SpaceX Starship Flight 9". FAA. May 30, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  14. ^ NASASpaceflight (March 18, 2025). Despite Flight 8's Failure, SpaceX Races Ahead Towards Mars | Starbase Update. Event occurs at 17:00. Retrieved March 20, 2025 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 28, 2025). Wait that's Ship 36 | Starbase Update. Retrieved April 29, 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "Making the turn into Masseys". X (formerly Twitter). April 26, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  17. ^ Priel, Elisar (April 27, 2025). "Starship S36 got straight to work following its arrival to Masseys the day before, undergoing a complete cryo test. while from the @NASASpaceflight cameras it looked nominal, it remains to be seen if further tests will be performed prior to its rollback". Twitter. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  18. ^ Priel, Elisar (April 29, 2025). "Ship 36 rolling back right now at Starbase @NASASpaceflight". Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  19. ^ Starship Gazer (June 15, 2025). "Leeward side view of Starship 36 during rollout to Massey's test site for static fire testing". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  20. ^ NASASpaceflight (June 16, 2025). SpaceX Performs A Static Fire of Ship 36. Retrieved June 16, 2025 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ a b NASASpaceflight (June 18, 2025). SpaceX Ship 36 RUDs During Testing. Retrieved June 18, 2025 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ NASASpaceflight (March 16, 2025). Testing of New Ships Forges Ahead at Starbase | SpaceX Boca Chica. Retrieved March 17, 2025 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ NASASpaceflight (April 14, 2025). Goodbye High Bay + Hello Pad B Flame Trench! | Starbase Update. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ Priel, Elisar (May 29, 2025). "Days after flight 9, SpaceX is already busy preparing for future flights of Starship, with S37 (potentially flight 11) taking a early morning trip to Masseys, as it starts its testing campaign with some cryo testing". Twitter. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  25. ^ NASASpaceflight (June 7, 2025). "Did the Booster just Hit the Stand??" | SpaceX Starbase. Event occurs at 1:28. Retrieved June 7, 2025 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ NASASpaceflight (July 27, 2025). SpaceX Rolls Starship 37 for Pre-flight Static Fire to the OLM. Retrieved July 28, 2025 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ NASASpaceflight (July 28, 2025). SpaceX Lifts Starship 37 for Pre-flight Static Fire to the OLM. Retrieved July 29, 2025 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ NASASpaceflight (July 31, 2025). SpaceX Conducts Starship 37 Testing. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  29. ^ Priel, Elisar [@ENNEPS] (March 1, 2025). "Starship Booster 16 got to work quickly after arriving to Massey's early in morning performing a multi hour partial cryo test well into the night. Next up should be a full cryo test before returning home to Mega Bay 1 for some engines" (Tweet). Retrieved March 1, 2025 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ NASASpaceflight (March 23, 2025). The Final Days of the Starbase High Bay | SpaceX Boca Chica. Event occurs at 4:15. Retrieved March 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ LabPadre (June 4, 2025). "Wow! Just a week after Flight-9, Booster 16 is on the way to static fire testing and Ship 37 returns to Megabay for engine installation". Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  32. ^ NASASpaceflight (June 5, 2025). SCRUB: SpaceX Performs Static Fire of Booster 16 for Starship Flight 10. Retrieved June 5, 2025 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ NASASpaceflight (June 6, 2025). Second Attempt: SpaceX Performs Static Fire of Booster 16 for Starship Flight 10. Retrieved June 6, 2025 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ Priel, Elisar (June 8, 2025). "Four Days after it departed for its successful static fire test, Starship B16 has returned to Mega Bay 1, for the next stage in the preflight preparations ahead of flight 10, potentially as soon as later this month". Twitter. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  35. ^ "Ship 36 experiences a RUD at Massey's during testing". X (formerly Twitter). June 19, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  36. ^ Foust, Jeff (June 19, 2025). "Starship destroyed in test stand explosion". SpaceNews. Retrieved June 26, 2025.