{ "data_version": "1", "schema": "https://whatledto.com/data", "slug": "spacex-starship-test-flights", "title": "SpaceX Starship Test Flights: From the First Launch to Orbit", "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights", "markdown": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights.md", "feed": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights/feed.xml", "vertical": "tech-industry", "topic": "Tech industry", "status": "live", "tags": [ { "slug": "space-launch", "name": "Space launch", "url": "https://whatledto.com/tags/space-launch" }, { "slug": "spacex", "name": "SpaceX", "url": "https://whatledto.com/tags/spacex" }, { "slug": "starship", "name": "Starship", "url": "https://whatledto.com/tags/starship" } ], "created_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.644859+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-09T01:05:32.540128+00:00", "last_researched_at": "2026-09-09T01:01:07.589418+00:00", "tldr": "NASA selected a refuelled Starship derivative as its Artemis lunar lander in 2021, making the Starbase flight-test campaign part of the Moon program's critical path. After Flight 1 damaged the pad and was destroyed, SpaceX progressed through hot staging, controlled reentries, soft splashdowns and tower catches, while FAA investigations and licence changes followed several losses. The Block 2 ships were lost on Flights 7 through 9 and Ship 36 exploded during ground testing, but Flights 10 and 11 completed their objectives; the newer V3 vehicles have since deployed Starlink payloads and survived reentry, although both V3 boosters flown so far were lost during return. Flight 14 is planned as the first orbital mission, while NASA still needs Starship to demonstrate orbital propellant transfer and lander operations for its planned 2027 Earth-orbit test and 2028 lunar landing target.", "hero_image": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1541185933-ef5d8ed016c2?ixid=M3w5OTg1Nzd8MHwxfGFsbHx8fHx8fHx8fDE3ODg1MzkyODN8&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop", "hero_credit": { "source": "unsplash", "photo_id": "Ptd-iTdrCJM", "photographer": "SpaceX", "photographer_url": "https://unsplash.com/@spacex?utm_source=whatledto&utm_medium=referral", "photo_url": "https://unsplash.com/photos/rocket-ship-launching-during-daytime-Ptd-iTdrCJM?utm_source=whatledto&utm_medium=referral", "description": "SpaceX Falcon Heavy Demo Mission", "license": "", "license_url": "" }, "entities": [ { "name": "Blue Origin", "kind": "company", "role": "Develops the Blue Moon commercial lander, which NASA says may join Starship in the 2027 Orion docking demonstration." }, { "name": "SpaceX", "kind": "company", "role": "Develops, tests and operates Starship and Super Heavy from Starbase, and holds NASA's Human Landing System contract." }, { "name": "Starbase", "kind": "other", "role": "SpaceX's Texas test and launch site, where the FAA has approved up to 25 Starship launches annually subject to operating requirements." }, { "name": "Starbase and Pad 2", "kind": "other", "role": "SpaceX’s Texas test and launch site, where Pad 2 supported the V3 debut and is preparing for Flight 14." }, { "name": "Elon Musk", "kind": "person", "role": "SpaceX’s leader, who has publicly discussed Starship recovery and the timing of a future ship catch." }, { "name": "Jared Isaacman", "kind": "person", "role": "NASA administrator who announced the February 2026 Artemis architecture change." }, { "name": "Artemis", "kind": "product", "role": "NASA's lunar exploration program, now planning a crewed Earth-orbit lander test in 2027 and a first crewed landing target in 2028." }, { "name": "Artemis III", "kind": "product", "role": "NASA mission program associated with the Starship HLS demonstration and lander development." }, { "name": "Blue Moon", "kind": "product", "role": "Blue Origin's lunar lander, identified by NASA as another possible participant in the 2027 Earth-orbit lander test." }, { "name": "NASA Human Landing System", "kind": "product", "role": "The lunar-lander program under which SpaceX must develop a Starship lander, including cryogenic-propellant-transfer capability." }, { "name": "NASA Human Landing System program", "kind": "product", "role": "The program under which NASA awarded SpaceX a fixed-price Starship lunar-lander contract." }, { "name": "Orion", "kind": "product", "role": "NASA's crew spacecraft planned to rendezvous and dock with commercial lander test articles in Earth orbit in 2027." }, { "name": "Raptor", "kind": "product", "role": "Engine named in the FAA's Flight 8 mishap finding." }, { "name": "Raptor 3", "kind": "product", "role": "The engine version introduced with V3; a booster engine loss contributed to the Flight 12 return failure." }, { "name": "Raptor and Raptor 3", "kind": "product", "role": "The methane-oxygen engine family used by Starship and Super Heavy; Raptor 3 debuted on the V3 stack during Flight 12." }, { "name": "Starlink", "kind": "product", "role": "SpaceX satellite constellation; V3 satellites are sized for Starship." }, { "name": "Starlink V3", "kind": "product", "role": "The satellite generation carried as simulated payloads on Flight 12 and as 20 deployed satellites on Flight 13; operational satellites are planned for Flight 14." }, { "name": "Starship", "kind": "product", "role": "The upper stage under test for orbital flight, payload deployment, reentry, propellant transfer and the lunar-lander variant." }, { "name": "Starship Block 2", "kind": "product", "role": "The upgraded ship generation flown on Flights 7 through 11; its first three flights ended in ship losses before Flights 10 and 11 succeeded." }, { "name": "Starship V3", "kind": "product", "role": "The current vehicle generation, using Raptor 3 engines and Pad 2, intended for orbital flights, operational payloads and propellant transfer." }, { "name": "Super Heavy", "kind": "product", "role": "Starship's booster, which has achieved tower catches but continues to face return and landing-burn failures on V3 flights." }, { "name": "FAA", "kind": "regulator", "role": "Licenses each launch and runs mishap investigations when flights fail." }, { "name": "Federal Aviation Administration", "kind": "regulator", "role": "Licenses Starship operations, conducts or oversees mishap investigations, and sets environmental and safety conditions for Starbase flights and reentries." }, { "name": "NASA", "kind": "regulator", "role": "Funds Starship's lunar-lander development and has tied Artemis mission planning to Starship demonstrations." }, { "name": "NASA Office of Inspector General", "kind": "regulator", "role": "Reported in March 2026 that Starship HLS development was at least two years behind the schedule assumed at contract award." } ], "nodes": [ { "id": 291, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n291", "date": "2021-04-16", "date_precision": "day", "title": "NASA picks Starship as the Artemis lunar lander in a $2.89 billion contract", "summary": "NASA chose a Starship derivative over bids from Blue Origin and Dynetics to land the next astronauts on the Moon, a firm fixed-price award covering an uncrewed demonstration landing and a crewed landing at the lunar south pole. The design depends on refuelling Starship in Earth orbit with liquid oxygen and methane, and SpaceX agreed to self-fund more than half of development. It is the reason NASA's Moon schedule now rides on the Starship test campaign.", "type": "announcement", "entities": [ "NASA", "SpaceX", "Starship" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.651811+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/04/17/nasa-chooses-spacex-to-land-next-astronauts-on-the-moon/", "outlet": "Spaceflight Now", "published": "2021-04-17", "quote": "NASA has selected SpaceX to build a spacecraft to land the first astronauts on the Moon since 1972, choosing Elon Musk’s space company over competing proposals from Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and the aerospace firm Dynetics, officials announced Friday." } ] }, { "id": 311, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n311", "date": "2022-06-13", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA completes Starbase environmental review", "summary": "The FAA published its Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Starship/Super Heavy operations at Boca Chica. It issued a mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision and required mitigation measures for future licenses or permits.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "Starbase", "Boca Chica" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The page states that the FAA published the Final PEA and Mitigated FONSI/ROD for the Boca Chica Starship/Super Heavy program on June 13, 2022. It also contains the quoted determination and says required mitigation measures would be conditions for any future license or permit.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/spacex_starship/activity_archive", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2022-06-13", "quote": "The FAA determined that the Proposed Action would not result in significant environmental consequences and has issued a Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision (FONSI/ROD)." } ] }, { "id": 292, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n292", "date": "2023-04-20", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 1: the first integrated Starship clears the pad, loses engines, tumbles and is destroyed after four minutes", "summary": "The first full stack lifted off from Starbase at 8:33 a.m. CT and reached about 39 km before multiple Raptor engines failed, the stages never separated, the vehicle began to tumble and the flight termination system was commanded on both stages. The launch also tore up the concrete under the pad and scattered debris, which fed the FAA investigation that followed.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "Starbase" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.651948+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-test", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2023-04-20", "quote": "The vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble." } ] }, { "id": 293, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n293", "date": "2023-09-08", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA closes the Flight 1 mishap investigation with 63 corrective actions before a second launch", "summary": "The FAA said SpaceX must implement every corrective action affecting public safety and obtain a licence modification before flying again; the actions included hardware redesigns to prevent leaks and fires, a more robust launch pad, extra design reviews, more testing of the autonomous flight safety system and tighter change control. SpaceX, which had already stacked Ship 25 on Booster 9, said it had built a hot-staging separation system and electric thrust vector control for the next flight. The licence came on November 15.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652008+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/09/08/faa-concludes-starship-mishap-investigation-63-corrective-actions-needed-before-second-flight/", "outlet": "Spaceflight Now", "published": "2023-09-08", "quote": "“SpaceX must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch,” the FAA said in a statement." } ] }, { "id": 294, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n294", "date": "2023-11-18", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 2: all 33 engines burn to staging, hot-staging works, both stages are lost", "summary": "On the second flight all 33 Raptors ran through a full-duration ascent for the first time, the new hot-staging separation succeeded, and the ship reached about 150 km and 24,000 km/h, the first Starship in space. The booster broke up during its boostback burn about three and a half minutes in, and the ship's flight ended when telemetry was lost near the end of its burn after more than eight minutes, with the flight termination system triggered. The new water-cooled flame deflector protected the pad.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652057+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-2", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2023-11-18", "quote": "Starship's six second stage Raptor engines all started successfully and powered the vehicle to an altitude of ~150 km and a velocity of ~24,000 km/h, becoming the first Starship to reach outer space and nearly completing its full-duration burn." } ] }, { "id": 295, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n295", "date": "2024-03-14", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 3: Starship completes its ascent burn, opens the payload door and reenters for the first time before breaking up", "summary": "The third flight put Starship on its planned near-orbital trajectory for the first time, opened and closed the payload door and ran an internal propellant transfer demonstration, though the planned in-space Raptor relight was skipped because of roll rates. The booster lit several engines for its first landing burn before breaking up at about 462 m. Starship's first entry from space, streamed live over Starlink, ended with loss of signal about 49 minutes into the flight. NASA said the propellant transfer demonstration operations, a milestone under the Artemis lander contract, were completed and the joint team was reviewing the data.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652104+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-3", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2024-03-14", "quote": "Starship went on to experience its first ever entry from space, providing valuable data on heating and vehicle control during hypersonic reentry." }, { "url": "https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/artemis-campaign-development-division/human-landing-system-program/nasa-artemis-mission-progresses-with-spacex-starship-test-flight/", "outlet": "NASA", "published": "2024-03-14", "quote": "The propellant transfer demonstration operations were completed, and the NASA-SpaceX team is currently reviewing the flight data that was received." } ] }, { "id": 313, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n313", "date": "2024-05-24", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA permits Starship return during Flight 3 investigation", "summary": "The FAA determined Starship could return to flight operations while the Flight 3 investigation remained open. The determination remained subject to other license requirements.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Flight 3" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The FAA page states that, after its review, Starship could return to flight while the Flight 3 investigation remained open, subject to all other license requirements. It says the FAA notified SpaceX of the positive determination on May 24, 2024.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2024-05-24", "quote": "This public safety determination means the Starship vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation remains open, provided all other license requirements are met." } ] }, { "id": 296, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n296", "date": "2024-06-06", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 4: both stages survive to soft splashdowns; Starship lives through reentry with a burning flap", "summary": "The fourth flight was the first in which both stages completed their missions: Super Heavy performed a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf seven and a half minutes in, and Starship came through peak heating with a visibly damaged forward flap, kept control, flipped, lit its three centre engines and splashed down in the Indian Ocean an hour and six minutes after launch.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652152+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-4", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2024-06-06", "quote": "Flight 4 ended with Starship igniting its three center Raptor engines and executing the first flip maneuver and landing burn since our suborbital campaign, followed by a soft splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean one hour and six minutes after launch." } ] }, { "id": 297, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n297", "date": "2024-10-13", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 5: the launch tower catches the Super Heavy booster on the first attempt", "summary": "On its first try SpaceX brought Super Heavy back to Starbase and caught it in mid-air with the tower's chopstick arms, after thousands of vehicle and pad criteria were met. Starship flew its planned trajectory, reentered and splashed down on target in the Indian Ocean one hour, five minutes and forty seconds after launch. The flight had waited on an FAA licence that SpaceX had publicly complained was delayed by environmental reviews.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "Starbase" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652194+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-5", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2024-10-13", "quote": "And on our first try, Mechazilla caught the booster." } ] }, { "id": 298, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n298", "date": "2024-11-19", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 6: catch aborted by tower health checks, first in-space Raptor relight, daylight splashdown", "summary": "Automated health checks on the launch and catch tower aborted the second catch attempt, so the booster diverted to a soft splashdown in the Gulf. Starship reignited a Raptor engine in space for the first time, a prerequisite for deorbit burns on orbital missions, flew a more aggressive angle of attack through the subsonic phase and splashed down in the Indian Ocean in daylight. President-elect Trump watched the launch with Musk at Starbase.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652234+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-6", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2024-11-19", "quote": "During this phase, automated health checks of critical hardware on the launch and catch tower triggered an abort of the catch attempt." } ] }, { "id": 299, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n299", "date": "2025-01-16", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 7: second booster catch, but the upgraded Starship is lost and debris falls over Turks and Caicos", "summary": "The first flight of the redesigned Block 2 ship ended after about eight and a half minutes when a fire in the aft section caused the vehicle to break apart, with debris visible from the Turks and Caicos Islands and airliners diverted. The booster was caught by the tower for the second time. SpaceX opened an investigation with the FAA and set up a debris hotline; the FAA required a mishap investigation before the next flight.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "FAA" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652272+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-7", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2025-01-16", "quote": "Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship, leading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly." } ] }, { "id": 316, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n316", "date": "2025-02-26", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA lets Starship return to flight while the Flight 7 investigation stays open, and licenses Flight 8", "summary": "After a safety review the FAA determined Starship could return to flight operations while the mishap investigation into the January 16 loss of the Flight 7 ship remained open, and the same day issued a licence modification for Flight 8, covering a Super Heavy tower catch attempt and a Starship water landing in the Indian Ocean. The pattern of flying before an investigation formally closed recurred on later flights.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Flight 7" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The page states that on Feb. 26 the FAA determined Starship could return to flight while the Flight 7 investigation remained open, following a comprehensive safety review. The quoted language appears on the page.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2025-02-26", "quote": "After completing the required and comprehensive safety review, the FAA determined the SpaceX Starship vehicle can return to flight operations while the investigation into the Jan. 16 Starship Flight 7 mishap remains open." }, { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2025-02-26", "quote": "The FAA issued a license modification authorizing the SpaceX Starship Flight 8 launch." } ] }, { "id": 300, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n300", "date": "2025-03-06", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 8: third booster catch, Starship lost again after an engine bay event", "summary": "Super Heavy was caught for the third time, but before the end of its ascent burn Starship suffered an energetic event in its aft section that took out several Raptors, followed by loss of attitude control and contact about nine and a half minutes in. Debris fell over the Bahamas and the FAA briefly held flights at Florida airports. It was the second consecutive loss of a Block 2 ship, and the FAA again required an investigation.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "FAA" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652311+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-8", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2025-03-06", "quote": "Prior to the end of the ascent burn, an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines." } ] }, { "id": 318, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n318", "date": "2025-03-28", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA closes Flight 7 mishap investigation", "summary": "The FAA closed the Flight 7 mishap investigation and accepted 11 SpaceX corrective actions. The final report attributed the Starship loss to flight vibrations that stressed and failed propulsion-system hardware.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Flight 7", "Turks and Caicos Islands" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The page states that the FAA-required Flight 7 investigation was closed on March 28, 2025, accepted the SpaceX-led investigation findings, and that SpaceX identified 11 corrective actions. It gives the quoted probable root cause verbatim.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2025-03-31", "quote": "The final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle was stronger than anticipated vibrations during flight led to increased stress on, and failure of, the hardware in the propulsion system." } ] }, { "id": 301, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n301", "date": "2025-05-06", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA environmental approval lets SpaceX launch Starship from Starbase 25 times a year", "summary": "The FAA's final tiered environmental assessment found that raising the Starbase launch cadence from five to 25 a year, with up to 25 landings of each stage, would not significantly affect the human environment, so no environmental impact statement was needed. Up to three launches could be at night, with night landings only offshore. The decision matched a draft issued the previous November.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starbase" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652352+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/spacex-gets-faa-approval-for-25-starship-launches-per-year", "outlet": "Space.com", "published": "2025-05-06", "quote": "The report grants SpaceX's request to boost the number of Starship launches from Starbase per year by a factor of five, to 25." } ] }, { "id": 320, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n320", "date": "2025-05-22", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA authorizes Flight 9 before Flight 8 closure", "summary": "The FAA issued a Starship return-to-flight determination and authorized Flight 9 for launch. The Flight 8 investigation had not yet been formally closed.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Flight 8", "Flight 9" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The page’s May 22, 2025 statement says the FAA made a Starship return-to-flight determination and authorized Flight 9 for launch. The same page states on May 15 that the Flight 8 investigation remained open and lists its formal closure later, on June 12, 2025.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2025-05-22", "quote": "With the Starship vehicle return to flight determination, Starship Flight 9 is authorized for launch." } ] }, { "id": 302, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n302", "date": "2025-05-27", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 9: first reflown Super Heavy; the booster breaks up in its landing burn and Starship tumbles before reentry", "summary": "The booster from Flight 7 flew again, the first reuse in the programme, completed a full ascent and a high angle-of-attack descent experiment, then broke up shortly after starting its landing burn over the Gulf. Starship reached space but its payload door would not open, an attitude control failure cancelled the engine relight, and the ship entered the atmosphere out of control and was lost about 46 minutes in. SpaceX later traced the ship failure to a fuel tank pressurisation diffuser and the booster loss to loads on the fuel transfer tube.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652390+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-9", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2025-05-27", "quote": "The Super Heavy booster supporting the mission made the first ever reflight in the Starship program, having previously launched on Starship’s seventh flight test in January 2025." } ] }, { "id": 321, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n321", "date": "2025-05-30", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA opens Flight 9 investigation for Starship loss", "summary": "The FAA required a mishap investigation focused on the Flight 9 Starship loss. It treated the Super Heavy loss as a test-induced-damage exception.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "Flight 9" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The page’s May 30, 2025 statement says the FAA required SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation for Starship Flight 9. It specifies that the investigation concerned only the Starship loss and that the Super Heavy loss fell under an approved test-induced-damage exception.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2025-05-30", "quote": "The mishap investigation is focused only on the loss of the Starship vehicle which did not complete its launch or reentry as planned." } ] }, { "id": 322, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n322", "date": "2025-06-12", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA closes Flight 8 mishap investigation", "summary": "The FAA closed the Flight 8 mishap investigation after accepting eight corrective actions. The final report attributed the Starship loss to a Raptor hardware failure that caused propellant mixing and ignition.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Raptor", "Flight 8", "Flight 9" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The FAA page’s June 12, 2025 statement says the Flight 8 mishap investigation was closed, that the FAA accepted the SpaceX-led investigation findings, and that SpaceX identified eight corrective actions. It contains the quoted root-cause language, including Raptor hardware failure, inadvertent propellant mixing, and ignition.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2025-06-12", "quote": "The final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle as a hardware failure in one of the raptor engines that resulted in inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition." } ] }, { "id": 303, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n303", "date": "2025-06-18", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Ship 36 explodes on the test stand at Starbase while loading propellant for a static fire", "summary": "The ship assigned to Flight 10 was destroyed at about 11 p.m. CT during propellant loading for a six-engine static fire, damaging the Massey's test site. SpaceX identified the most probable cause as undetected damage to a nitrogen composite pressure vessel in the payload bay, and responded by lowering COPV operating pressure, adding inspections and proof tests, new acceptance criteria and protective covers. Flight 10 slipped to late August with a different ship.", "type": "report", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Starbase" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652429+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/updates/", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2025-06-19", "quote": "The vehicle was in the process of loading cryogenic propellant for a six-engine static fire when a sudden energetic event resulted in the complete loss of Starship and damage to the immediate area surrounding the stand." } ] }, { "id": 323, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n323", "date": "2025-08-15", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA clears Flight 10 after Flight 9 investigation", "summary": "The FAA closed the Flight 9 mishap investigation and stated that SpaceX could proceed with Flight 10 launch operations. The regulator identified failure of a fuel component as the probable cause of the Starship loss.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Flight 9", "Flight 10" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The FAA page states that the Flight 9 mishap investigation was closed, identifies a fuel-component failure as the probable root cause of the Starship loss, and says SpaceX can proceed with Flight 10 under its current license. The statement is dated August 15, 2025.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2025-08-15", "quote": "SpaceX can now proceed with Starship Flight 10 launch operations under its current license." } ] }, { "id": 304, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n304", "date": "2025-08-26", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 10: every objective met, first payload deployment and a second in-space relight", "summary": "After three straight ship losses, the tenth flight deployed eight Starlink simulators from the payload bay, relit a Raptor in space, stressed the heatshield on reentry and splashed down softly in the Indian Ocean. The booster, flown without a catch attempt, tested an engine-out landing burn by shutting down a centre engine and using a backup, then hovered and splashed down in the Gulf. The FAA reopened airspace within ten minutes.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652467+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-10", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2025-08-26", "quote": "The first in-space objective was then completed, with eight Starlink simulators deployed in the first successful payload demonstration from Starship." } ] }, { "id": 305, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n305", "date": "2025-10-13", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 11: the last Block 2 Starship and first-generation booster fly a clean mission", "summary": "The final flight of the second-generation ship and the original booster, and the last from the old Pad 1 configuration, met every objective: a reused booster tested the landing-burn profile planned for the next-generation vehicle, Starship deployed eight Starlink simulators, relit a Raptor, flew a banking manoeuvre to mimic a return to Starbase and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. Attention turned to the V3 vehicles intended for orbital flights, payloads and propellant transfer.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652506+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-11", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2025-10-13", "quote": "This was the final flight of the second-generation Starship and first generation Super Heavy booster, as well as the final launch from the current configuration of Pad 1." } ] }, { "id": 306, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n306", "date": "2026-02-27", "date_precision": "day", "title": "NASA reshapes Artemis: a 2027 Earth-orbit mission to test landers with Orion, Moon landing moves to Artemis IV in 2028", "summary": "NASA added a crewed mission in 2027 in which Orion will dock in low Earth orbit with one or both commercial landers, SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon, and test lunar spacesuits, and moved the first landing to Artemis IV in 2028. Administrator Jared Isaacman framed it as raising mission cadence and standardising the vehicle configuration. The change ties Starship's near-term orbital and refuelling tests directly to NASA's schedule.", "type": "announcement", "entities": [ "NASA", "SpaceX", "Starship" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652543+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-adds-mission-to-artemis-lunar-program-updates-architecture/", "outlet": "NASA", "published": "2026-02-27", "quote": "This includes standardizing vehicle configuration, adding an additional mission in 2027, and undertaking at least one surface landing every year thereafter." } ] }, { "id": 324, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n324", "date": "2026-03-10", "date_precision": "day", "title": "NASA OIG reports at least two-year HLS development delay", "summary": "NASA's Office of Inspector General reported that SpaceX's Artemis III Starship development had been delayed at least two years since the July 2021 contract award. The report identified vehicle-to-vehicle cryogenic-propellant transfer as a major HLS milestone.", "type": "report", "entities": [ "NASA Office of Inspector General", "NASA", "SpaceX", "Starship HLS", "Artemis III" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The report is dated March 10, 2026 and contains the quoted statement verbatim. It also describes the vehicle-to-vehicle cryogenic propellant transfer test as Starship's next major milestone.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://oig.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/final-report-ig-26-004-nasas-management-of-the-human-landing-system-contracts.pdf", "outlet": "NASA Office of Inspector General", "published": "2026-03-10", "quote": "Since award of the Appendix H, Option A contract in July 2021, SpaceX’s development of the Artemis III Starship has been delayed at least 2 years, with additional delays expected." } ] }, { "id": 307, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n307", "date": "2026-05-22", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 12: Starship V3, Raptor 3 and Pad 2 debut; the ship completes its mission, the booster is lost", "summary": "The first V3 stack launched from the new Pad 2 at 5:30 p.m. CT. The booster lost one Raptor 3 on ascent, could not light all engines for its boostback burn and hit the Gulf hard. Starship lost a vacuum engine but reached its trajectory, deployed 20 Starlink simulators plus two modified Starlink satellites that photographed it in space, stressed its rear flaps and banked on reentry, and landed in the Indian Ocean on two engines.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "Starbase" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652580+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-12", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2026-05-22", "quote": "This was the first flight of the Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, the Raptor 3 engines, the first flight from Pad 2, and the first Starship flight to deploy modified Starlink satellites to image Starship in space." } ] }, { "id": 326, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n326", "date": "2026-07-13", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA closes the Flight 12 booster mishap investigation, clearing Flight 13", "summary": "On May 27 the FAA had determined that the loss of the Super Heavy booster on its return during Flight 12 was a mishap requiring an investigation. On July 13 it accepted SpaceX's final report, which identified heat effects on propulsion components and engine-alarm settings as probable causes, and said SpaceX could proceed with Flight 13 once licensing requirements were met.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "FAA", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "Flight 12", "Flight 13" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The FAA page contains a July 13, 2026 statement closing the SpaceX Starship Flight 12 mishap investigation and allowing Flight 13 operations subject to safety and licensing requirements. It identifies heat effects on propulsion-system components and erroneous engine-alarm settings as the two most probable root causes.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2026-07-13", "quote": "SpaceX can proceed with Starship Flight 13 launch operations provided all safety and other licensing requirements are met." }, { "url": "https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/statements/general-statements", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration", "published": "2026-05-27", "quote": "After a thorough assessment of the operation, the FAA has determined the May 22 SpaceX Starship Flight 12 launch resulted in a mishap." } ] }, { "id": 327, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n327", "date": "2026-07-15", "date_precision": "day", "title": "NASA specifies V3 lander test article for Artemis III", "summary": "NASA said the 2027 Artemis III Earth-orbit demonstration would use a Starship Version 3 lander test article with a nose docking system. The test would evaluate Orion and Starship interactions during rendezvous and docking operations.", "type": "announcement", "entities": [ "NASA", "SpaceX", "Starship V3", "Starship HLS", "Orion", "Artemis III" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.808571+00:00", "note": "The NASA page, published July 15, 2026, states that Artemis III's 2027 demonstration will use a Starship Version 3 test article with a nose-mounted docking system. It says the mission will evaluate Orion–Starship integrated-stack interactions during rendezvous and docking operations.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/artemis-campaign-development-division/human-landing-system-program/how-nasas-artemis-iii-lander-test-will-pave-way-for-moon-landings/", "outlet": "NASA", "published": "2026-07-15", "quote": "SpaceX’s Starship lander test article will use a Starship Version 3, currently in production and testing, with an added docking system installed on the nose of the 171-foot (52-m) spacecraft, enabling NASA and SpaceX to evaluate how the entire integrated stack of Orion and the Starship test lander interact." } ] }, { "id": 308, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n308", "date": "2026-07-24", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Flight 13: first real Starlink V3 satellites deployed; Starship splashes down and stays intact", "summary": "On the third attempt after an engine-ignition abort on July 16 and a weather scrub, the second V3 flight deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites that SpaceX contacted over radio and laser links before they reentered, relit a Raptor in space, and brought the ship through reentry to a soft splashdown that left it floating intact, giving the first close look at a flown heatshield. The booster completed a 33-engine boostback for the first time on V3 but only some engines relit for landing and it was lost.", "type": "launch", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy", "Starlink" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652620+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13", "outlet": "SpaceX", "published": "2026-07-24", "quote": "After relighting all three Raptor engines, Starship executed a landing flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown, coming to rest intact in the Indian Ocean and providing critical views of an intact heatshield for the first time." } ] }, { "id": 309, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n309", "date": "2026-08-07", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Attempt to tow the Flight 13 ship to shore fails in rough seas", "summary": "Two weeks after splashdown SpaceX was still trying to guide the 52-metre ship to port in Western Australia when Musk said recovery was not looking good; the team had already photographed critical parts of the heatshield and engines up close. The ship's survival of the splashdown prompted talk of catching a ship at the tower on a coming flight.", "type": "report", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Elon Musk" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652656+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/not-looking-good-right-now-starship-likely-to-be-lost-at-sea-2-weeks-after-epic-13th-test-flight-elon-musk-says", "outlet": "Space.com", "published": "2026-08-07", "quote": "\"Unfortunately, ship recovery is not looking good right now. Nonetheless, we were able to obtain close-up photos of critical regions of the heat shield and engines for future upgrades,\" Musk wrote this afternoon via X, the social media site he owns." } ] }, { "id": 310, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n310", "date": "2026-08-20", "date_precision": "day", "title": "Ship 41 static fires for Flight 14, planned as Starship's first orbital launch; ship catch deferred", "summary": "Ship 41 completed a single-engine burn simulating a deorbit and a 60-second six-engine static fire at Massey's, clearing the way for Flight 14 in September, the first mission meant to put Starship into orbit and carry operational Starlink V3 satellites. Musk said a return-to-tower catch of the ship would now come in a few months, so both stages were expected to splash down. A V3 booster catch had not yet been tried. Booster 21 followed with a full-duration 33-engine static fire on the pad on August 28.", "type": "announcement", "entities": [ "SpaceX", "Starship", "Elon Musk" ], "published_at": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.652696+00:00", "note": "", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-fires-up-starship-ahead-of-megarockets-1st-orbital-flight-video", "outlet": "Space.com", "published": "2026-08-21", "quote": "As its name suggests, Flight 14 will be Starship's 14th test flight, but it will be the rocket's first launch into orbit, if all goes according to plan." }, { "url": "https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-test-fires-starship-super-heavy-booster-ahead-of-key-test-flight", "outlet": "Space.com", "published": "2026-08-28", "quote": "The company conducted an engine test with Starship's giant first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, on the launch pad at its Starbase site in South Texas on Friday (Aug. 28)." } ] }, { "id": 672, "url": "https://whatledto.com/events/spacex-starship-test-flights#n672", "date": "2026-09-04", "date_precision": "day", "title": "FAA publishes notice on expanded Starship contingency reentry operations", "summary": "The Federal Aviation Administration published notice that its final environmental assessment and FONSI/ROD for expanded Starship contingency-reentry operations and an additional Starbase landing trajectory were available. The notice stated that SpaceX must obtain a vehicle-operator-license modification before using additional Pacific Ocean contingency landing areas.", "type": "regulatory", "entities": [ "Federal Aviation Administration", "SpaceX", "Starship", "Super Heavy" ], "published_at": "2026-09-09T01:04:48.530526+00:00", "note": "The notice announces the availability of the Final Tiered EA and FONSI/ROD for Starship Pacific Ocean contingency reentry operations and an additional Starbase landing trajectory. It is scheduled for Federal Register publication on 2026-09-04 and contains the quoted license-modification requirement.", "image": "", "image_credit": { "credit": "", "source_url": "", "image_url": "", "terms_url": "", "mode": "licensed" }, "sources": [ { "url": "https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-18135.pdf", "outlet": "Federal Aviation Administration / Federal Register", "published": "2026-09-04", "quote": "SpaceX must obtain a modification to their existing vehicle operator license from the FAA to authorize the expenditure of the Starship vehicle in additional downrange contingency landing areas within the Pacific Ocean." }, { "url": "https://aviationweek.com/space/operations-safety/faa-authorizes-wider-swath-starship-ops", "outlet": "Aviation Week", "published": "2026-09-02", "quote": "The FAA on Sept. 2 expanded the geographic and operational envelope for upcoming SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy flights from Boca Chica Beach, Texas." } ] } ], "relations": [ { "from": 291, "to": 306, "kind": "follows", "note": "Five years after the award, NASA reshaped the schedule around lander readiness." }, { "from": 292, "to": 293, "kind": "follows", "note": "The first flight produced the 63 corrective actions." }, { "from": 293, "to": 294, "kind": "follows", "note": "Hot staging and the water-cooled deflector, both born of the investigation, flew on Flight 2." }, { "from": 297, "to": 299, "kind": "follows", "note": "The catch was repeated on Flight 7 even as the new ship failed." }, { "from": 299, "to": 300, "kind": "follows", "note": "Two consecutive Block 2 ship losses in the same phase of flight." }, { "from": 302, "to": 303, "kind": "follows", "note": "A lost flight followed by a ground explosion: the low point of 2025." }, { "from": 303, "to": 304, "kind": "follows", "note": "Flight 10, delayed by the Ship 36 explosion, was the first clean mission since Flight 6." }, { "from": 305, "to": 307, "kind": "follows", "note": "Seven months between the last Block 2 flight and the V3 debut." }, { "from": 308, "to": 309, "kind": "follows", "note": "The intact ship could not be brought home." }, { "from": 308, "to": 310, "kind": "follows", "note": "Flight 13's results set up the first orbital attempt." }, { "from": 295, "to": 313, "kind": "responds_to", "note": "The FAA's May 24 determination allowed return to flight while the Flight 3 investigation remained open." }, { "from": 299, "to": 316, "kind": "responds_to", "note": "The FAA's February 26 determination addressed return to flight while the Flight 7 mishap investigation remained open." }, { "from": 316, "to": 318, "kind": "follows", "note": "The FAA closed the Flight 7 investigation after issuing the return-to-flight determination." }, { "from": 300, "to": 322, "kind": "responds_to", "note": "The FAA's June 12 final report closed the mishap investigation into the Flight 8 Starship loss." }, { "from": 321, "to": 323, "kind": "responds_to", "note": "The FAA's August 15 action closed the Flight 9 mishap investigation and allowed Flight 10 operations." }, { "from": 306, "to": 327, "kind": "follows", "note": "NASA's July 15 announcement specifies the Starship V3 test article and docking purpose for the 2027 Earth-orbit demonstration described in the February 27 restructuring." } ], "links": [], "key_node_ids": [ 291, 292, 295, 297, 300, 303, 304, 306, 307, 308, 310, 672 ], "catalysts": [ { "date": "2026-09", "title": "Flight 14 planned as Starship's first orbital mission", "why": "SpaceX plans to attempt orbital insertion with Ship 41 and Booster 21 and deploy operational Starlink V3 satellites; both stages are expected to splash down.", "source_url": "https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-fires-up-starship-ahead-of-megarockets-1st-orbital-flight-video" }, { "date": "2027", "title": "Artemis III crewed Earth-orbit lander demonstration", "why": "NASA plans for Orion and astronauts to evaluate commercial landers in low Earth orbit, including a Starship V3 lander test article with a nose docking system.", "source_url": "https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/artemis-campaign-development-division/human-landing-system-program/how-nasas-artemis-iii-lander-test-will-pave-way-for-moon-landings/" }, { "date": "2027-06", "title": "Starship HLS sustaining-lander Critical Design Review anticipated", "why": "The review is a formal development checkpoint for the Starship version intended to support the post-demonstration lunar-landing architecture.", "source_url": "https://oig.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/final-report-ig-26-004-nasas-management-of-the-human-landing-system-contracts.pdf" }, { "date": "2028", "title": "NASA targets first Artemis crewed lunar landing", "why": "NASA's Artemis IV landing target depends on Starship orbital refuelling, an uncrewed lander demonstration and the crew-interface testing planned for the Earth-orbit mission.", "source_url": "https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis/" } ], "open_questions": [ "Whether Flight 14 will achieve orbital insertion, deploy operational satellites and complete the planned splashdowns has not yet been established.", "SpaceX has not yet demonstrated the vehicle-to-vehicle cryogenic-propellant transfer identified by NASA's inspector general as a major HLS milestone.", "No V3 Super Heavy has completed a successful return or catch; both Flight 12 and Flight 13 boosters were lost during landing operations.", "The FAA's September notice requires a licence modification before SpaceX can use additional Pacific contingency landing areas; the timeline does not say when that modification will be issued.", "NASA's February architecture update calls the 2027 crewed Earth-orbit mission a new mission and moves the first landing to Artemis IV in 2028, while NASA's July lander-test announcement describes the 2027 demonstration as Artemis III; the timeline does not resolve the naming difference." ], "metrics": [ { "key": "flight", "name": "Starship integrated flight test number", "unit": "", "kind": "line", "points": [ { "node_id": 292, "date": "2023-04-20", "value": 1, "quote": "Flight 1" }, { "node_id": 294, "date": "2023-11-18", "value": 2, "quote": "Flight 2" }, { "node_id": 295, "date": "2024-03-14", "value": 3, "quote": "Flight 3" }, { "node_id": 296, "date": "2024-06-06", "value": 4, "quote": "Flight 4" }, { "node_id": 297, "date": "2024-10-13", "value": 5, "quote": "Flight 5" }, { "node_id": 298, "date": "2024-11-19", "value": 6, "quote": "Flight 6" }, { "node_id": 299, "date": "2025-01-16", "value": 7, "quote": "Flight 7" }, { "node_id": 300, "date": "2025-03-06", "value": 8, "quote": "Flight 8" }, { "node_id": 302, "date": "2025-05-27", "value": 9, "quote": "Flight 9" }, { "node_id": 304, "date": "2025-08-26", "value": 10, "quote": "Flight 10" }, { "node_id": 305, "date": "2025-10-13", "value": 11, "quote": "Flight 11" }, { "node_id": 307, "date": "2026-05-22", "value": 12, "quote": "Flight 12" }, { "node_id": 308, "date": "2026-07-24", "value": 13, "quote": "Flight 13" } ] } ], "related": [], "changelog": [ { "date": "2026-09-09T01:05:32.543271+00:00", "kind": "summary", "summary": "Chart data refreshed: 13 point(s) across 1 metric(s).", "node_ids": [] }, { "date": "2026-09-09T01:05:32.543264+00:00", "kind": "summary", "summary": "Summary, key players and catalysts refreshed.", "node_ids": [] }, { "date": "2026-09-09T01:04:48.565151+00:00", "kind": "publish", "summary": "Added 1 node(s): 2026-09-04 FAA publishes notice on expanded Starship contingency reentry operations.", "node_ids": [ 672 ] }, { "date": "2026-09-09T01:01:17.323159+00:00", "kind": "research", "summary": "Research run found 1 candidate node(s).", "node_ids": [ 672 ] }, { "date": "2026-09-07T06:14:37.352308+00:00", "kind": "summary", "summary": "Chart data refreshed: 13 point(s) across 1 metric(s).", "node_ids": [] }, { "date": "2026-09-07T05:31:07.380747+00:00", "kind": "summary", "summary": "Summary, key players and catalysts refreshed.", "node_ids": [] }, { "date": "2026-09-04T16:17:52.623467+00:00", "kind": "summary", "summary": "Summary, key players and catalysts refreshed.", "node_ids": [] }, { "date": "2026-09-04T16:17:29.838562+00:00", "kind": "publish", "summary": "Added 11 node(s): 2022-06-13 FAA completes Starbase environmental review; 2024-05-24 FAA permits Starship return during Flight 3 investigation; 2025-02-26 FAA lets Starship return to flight while the Flight 7 investigation stays open, and licenses Flight 8; 2025-03-28 FAA closes Flight 7 mishap investigation and 7 more.", "node_ids": [ 311, 313, 316, 318, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 326, 327 ] }, { "date": "2026-09-04T16:16:21.535524+00:00", "kind": "research", "summary": "Research run found 18 candidate node(s).", "node_ids": [ 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328 ] }, { "date": "2026-09-04T16:09:21.663647+00:00", "kind": "seed", "summary": "Seeded 20 hand-verified node(s) from spacex-starship-test-flights.yaml.", "node_ids": [ 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310 ] } ], "license": { "holder": "What Led To", "terms": "https://whatledto.com/methodology#reuse", "summary": "Quote entries with attribution and a link to the entry; do not republish whole timelines or train models on the text." } }