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SpaceX Starship Flight 9 Launch Update · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  SpaceX has set a launch target of May 27th, 2025 at 2330 UTC
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  for Starship Flight 9. The launch will take place at *
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  Base, the company's private site in Buccateeka, Texas.
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  However, the mission is still waiting for a green light from
• 0:13
  the Federal Aviation Administration, which must first
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  conclude its investigation into the failed Starship Flight 8.
• 0:19
  This flight will use Ship 35 and Super Heavy Booster 14-2.
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  Ship 35 is a newer version of the vehicle known as a Block 2
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  prototype. Booster 14-2 is notable because
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  it previously flew on Flight 7 and will now be launched again,
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  making it the first reused Super Heavy booster.
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  Flight 9 will not include a catch attempt with the launch
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  tower arms. Instead, Booster 14-2 will
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  attempt to control descent and soft splashdown in the Gulf of
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  Mexico. Ship 35 will continue into
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  orbit, re enter Earth's atmosphere and aim for a water
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  landing in the Indian Ocean. Starship has flown before, but
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  none of those tests combined orbital insertion, full re
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  entry, and controlled recovery of both stages.
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  If successful, Flight 9 will prove the system can work from
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  start to finish. The booster will use 33 Raptor
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  engines, with 29 of them having flown before.
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  The Raptor 3 engine is a key upgrade.
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  It's lighter, simpler to produce, and generates up to 280
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  tons of thrust per engine. With a specific impulse of 350
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  seconds. Each engine weighs about 1525
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  kilograms. Ship 35 has 6 Raptor engines,
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  three designed for sea level operations and three vacuum
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  optimized for use in space. Both stages burn a cryogenic mix
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  of liquid methane and liquid oxygen known as metalox.
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  These fuels are cooled near their freezing points,
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  increasing energy density and improving efficiency.
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  Thermal protection is another key area of testing.
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  Starship's black heat shield tiles can survive temperatures
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  up to 1400°C. Flight 9 will include
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  experiments using fewer tiles, experimental active cooled
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  systems, and possibly ablative materials, all aimed at
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  improving reusability while saving weight.
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  The flight profile starts with lift off from Starbase Texas.
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  Once the booster separates, it will turn, reignite some engines
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  and splash down in the Gulf. Ship 35 will continue into
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  orbit, coast for several hours and then perform a re entry burn
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  to slow down before attempting a soft water landing in the Indian
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  Ocean. SpaceX may also include test
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  payloads. These could include simulated
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  Starling satellites or structural mass simulators.
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  One goal is to fly a trajectory that stresses the vehicles
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  control flaps to gather real world data for future design
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  updates. Flight 9 is also a test of
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  durability. Reusing Booster 14-2 checks
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  whether the hardware can withstand stress from multiple
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  missions. Even though the booster won't be
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  recovered for reuse this time, bringing it down softly allow
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  SpaceX to inspect its performance and tweak future
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  designs. The new heat shield materials
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  and experimental designs on Ship 35 help SpaceX figure out what
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  works best. Some tests will stress the
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  vehicle in ways it hasn't been tested before, especially on re
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  entry. These real world trials are the
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  only way to validate systems before using them on operational
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  missions. SpaceX still needs regulatory
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  approval before it can fly. The FAA is reviewing what went
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  wrong in Flight 8 before giving permission for this next test.
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  Until that process ends, the May 27th date is a target, not a
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  guarantee.