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Starship flight test 10
Tenth launch of SpaceX Starship From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 NET August 4, 2025.[6]
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Impact of Flights 7, 8 and 9
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
Ship 36
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
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]
Booster 16
Booster 16 (B16) conducted a cryogenic test on February 28,[28] before being rolled back to the production site on March 20 for engine installation.[29] It rolled out to the launch site on June 3 for static fire testing.[30] On June 5, it aborted an attempted static fire test,[31] before completing the thirty three engine static fire on June 6.[32] It was then lifted off the orbital launch mount (OLM) on June 7 and rolled back to MB1 on June 8.[33]
Impact of Ship 36 explosion
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.[34][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.[35] Fires sparked by the anomaly continued burning at the test site for several hours.
Due to the loss of Ship 36, a new spacecraft will be designated for flight 10; the exact vehicle remains unknown as of mid-July.
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