SpaceX's Starship made its ninth test flight Tuesday, successfully separating from the Super Heavy booster and reaching orbit. However, the mission faced challenges, including a failure to deploy mock satellites due to a malfunctioning cargo hatch and a subsequent loss of attitude control during re-entry, resulting in an uncontrolled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This test illustrated improvements since previous explosive outcomes, as it utilized a flight-proven booster. The FAA had recently cleared SpaceX for this test after tightening regulations post-explosions in earlier flights.
SpaceX had cleared the surrounding airspace where Starship was coming down, ensuring safety measures were taken during the flight's conclusion.
This flight demonstrated mixed results, showcasing both significant progress and notable failures in the Starship program.
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