SpaceX Starship crashes into Indian Ocean after spinning out of control mid-flight

SpaceX’s ninth integrated test flight of the Starship Super Heavy launch system ended in failure on Tuesday, May 27, when the rocket's upper stage lost control mid-flight and crashed into the Indian Ocean. The flight lifted off at 7:36 p.m. EDT (2336 GMT) from the Starbase launch facility near Brownsville, Texas. The mission aimed to collect data on structural resilience, orbital flight performance, and reentry behavior.

The two-stage launch vehicle consisted of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage. For the first time, SpaceX reused a Super Heavy booster that had previously flown. The upgraded booster successfully lifted the upper stage and executed stage separation as planned. However, SpaceX lost communication with the booster during its descent, and it failed to perform a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Engineers were unable to retrieve descent data from the booster.

Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage continued toward its targeted suborbital trajectory and carried eight Starlink simulator satellites. The payload bay doors, which were supposed to open mid-flight to release the satellites, malfunctioned and remained shut. Approximately 30 minutes after liftoff, the upper stage experienced a loss of attitude control and began spinning uncontrollably in space. As a result, it failed to reenter the atmosphere in a stable manner and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean.

This was the third consecutive Starship test flight in 2025 to end unsuccessfully, following two earlier flights in January and March that resulted in explosions shortly after launch. Each of these failures occurred despite prior achievements in similar flight phases. The Federal Aviation Administration had granted clearance for the May 27 flight just four days earlier, following safety reviews and regulatory assessments.

Elon Musk stated that SpaceX would increase the launch frequency, aiming for a Starship flight every 3 to 4 weeks. NASA is also monitoring Starship’s progress, as a version of the vehicle is planned to serve as the crew lander for Artemis 3. Standing 123 meters tall, Starship is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever developed, and is designed to be fully reusable for missions to the Moon, Mars, and other deep space destinations.