<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The most powerful rocket system ever constructed is headed for its next test — using a version of the vehicle that has been at the centre of a series of explosive missteps and failures.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>SpaceX said it is aiming to launch its Starship megarocket on an hour-long test flight as soon as 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday (9:30 a.m. Monday AEST), though the liftoff time is subject to change.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A </span><a href="https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-10" rel="" target="" title=""><span>webcast</span></a><span> of the event is expected to begin about 30 minutes earlier, according to the company.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/melania-trump-turkish-first-lady-sends-message-over-gaza-children/e4bb39b7-e119-4dee-97f1-f490cab4bb9b" rel="" target="_blank" title="Turkey's first lady urges Melania Trump to speak up for children in Gaza"><strong><span>Turkey's first lady urges Melania Trump to speak up for children in Gaza</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The uncrewed Starship prototype will follow a similar flight plan to the last three missions and aim to complete test objectives left untried during those tests, all of which ended prematurely.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>SpaceX debuted the current generation of Starship vehicles in January, following a clean run of test missions with a slightly scaled-down version of the rocket in 2024.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But since that debut, the vehicle has twice exploded over populated islands east of Florida, creating debris that hit roadways in Turks and Caicos and washed up onto the shores of Bahamian islands.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/spacex-rocket-elon-musk/176c71a5-d01e-45ba-898c-4363015b3e3b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The spacecraft also spun out of control as it headed toward its landing site in the Indian Ocean on its last test flight in May.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Then, in June, a Starship spacecraft that had been strapped to an engine testing stand at the company's launch and development facilities in South Texas abruptly exploded — spewing shrapnel and causing damage to SpaceX infrastructure.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/taigum-homicide-investigation-after-brisbane-woman-found-with-critical-injuries/94d50f57-5cac-425b-843e-a4a056375e6e" target="_blank" title="Man, 52, charged with murder after mother found dead in Brisbane"><strong><span>Man, 52, charged with murder after mother found dead in Brisbane</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>These setbacks roused long-standing SpaceX critics and attracted new ones, including the Mexican government, which has threatened legal action against the company over reported debris on and around its shores.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The UK government also said in a statement that it's been "working closely with US Government partners to protect the safety" of its overseas territories, including Turks and Caicos.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The string of mishaps this year has also raised concerns among spaceflight experts and stakeholders who have emphasised that the United States has a lot riding on Starship's eventual success, including its plans to return humans to the moon as soon as 2027.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And that success is not guaranteed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's very, very difficult to predict how this is going to end up," said Garrett Reisman, a former NASA astronaut and SpaceX consultant who is a professor of astronautical engineering at the University of Southern California.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think it could end up never working, or it could end up revolutionising our entire future of activities in space — and geopolitics," he added, referring to the US goal of displaying technical superiority to China in a new space race.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Why SpaceX is allowed to fly again</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>SpaceX said it implemented changes to the Starship system slated to fly this weekend in response to the last in-flight failure in May.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Those alterations include adjustments to a component called a fuel diffuser, which the company believes malfunctioned during the last flight, causing higher-than-expected pressure to build up in Starship's nose cone.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It is likely what caused the vehicle to spiral out of control, according to a technical overview SpaceX </span><a href="https://www.spacex.com/updates#flight-9-report" rel="" target="" title=""><span>published</span></a><span> last week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite the series of recent problems, the Federal Aviation Administration — which licenses commercial rocket launches — said last week it had closed its investigation into SpaceX's latest mishap and approved the company's plans to fly the next mission.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/woollahra-sydney-hidden-train-station-revival-thousands-of-homes-state-government-plan/8ca7ecd8-69f6-4fd3-aa1d-ff42ced2bf1a" target="_blank" title="Abandoned train station in Sydney's east to be revived"><strong><span>Abandoned train station in Sydney's east to be revived</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Under current laws and regulations, the FAA is tasked solely with ensuring that commercial rocket companies do not pose a risk to public property or bystanders' safety.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property. The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the SpaceX-led investigation," the agency said in an August 15 statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"SpaceX identified corrective actions to prevent a reoccurrence of the event."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>A long road ahead</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In its update, SpaceX also made clear that the version of Starship that has experienced so many issues will soon be retired.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Two flights remain with the current generation, each with test objectives designed to expand the envelope on vehicle capabilities," according to a company blog post.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has already been teasing plans for larger, more ambitious iterations of the vehicle that would stretch even taller and carry more propellant.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now it appears clear that SpaceX will pursue that scaled-up version of Starship — which is already more than twice as powerful as the NASA rockets that powered the Apollo moon landings — whether or not the current line of Starship prototypes ever pulls off a successful test flight.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/brisbane-pro-palestine-protest-thousands-to-march-across-city/c7ec1ca7-51dc-40f0-932c-69c9a96da44a" target="_blank" title="Thousands to flood Brisbane's CBD for pro-Palestine rally"><strong><span>Thousands to flood Brisbane's CBD for pro-Palestine rally</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's very possible that a bigger upgrade might solve the current problem," Reisman said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It also could introduce new problems — you never know."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Notably, the US government has taken several steps that could aid SpaceX in its efforts to expedite Starship testing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In May, the FAA approved the company's plans to launch Starship as many as 25 times per year from Texas, up from the five it had been previously authorised to conduct.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queen-victoria-market-fire-man-charge/3c5b3d20-e943-454a-99ba-ea06b80a04b2" target="" title="Alleged arsonist targets popular Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne"><strong><span>Alleged arsonist targets popular Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And earlier this month, President Donald Trump — despite a public and vitriolic falling out with Musk in June — issued an </span><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/enabling-competition-in-the-commercial-space-industry/" rel="" target="" title=""><span>executive order</span></a><span> that appears designed to scale back roadblocks and regulatory oversight for private-sector rocket operations, including environmental reviews.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meanwhile, the stakes appear to be growing with each Starship test flight, as SpaceX is racing against the clock</span><strong><span>.</span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Not only does Musk want to send one of the vehicles on an uncrewed flight to Mars when the next opportunity arises in 2026, but NASA also plans to send its astronauts to the lunar surface aboard one of the vehicles as soon as mid-2027 as part of a $2.9 billion ($AUD 4.5 billion) contract.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We made this bet" on Starship, said Janet Petro, who served as acting NASA administrator until July. "They have had a rough year, but SpaceX is a pretty intense and motivated company."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Petro added she had "full confidence" that SpaceX will refine Starship's design and get the vehicle working.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Reisman, the former SpaceX adviser, said he is also hopeful but less certain.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"SpaceX has made an existential gamble on Starship," Reisman said, adding that he is concerned about the rate of progress SpaceX has been making with Starship.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They're pouring a tremendous amount of money and resources into its development … but at some point, the laws of financial physics still apply."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>What SpaceX hopes to achieve with Flight 10</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If all goes according to plan with Starship's next flight, referred to as Flight 10, the 400-foot (121 metre) tall Starship launch system will take off from SpaceX's facilities in South Texas and soar out over the waters off the coast.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The bottom portion of the rocket system that gives the initial burst of power at liftoff, called Super Heavy, will attempt to make a controlled splashdown off the Texas coast, according to SpaceX.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For this mission, the company will not attempt to repeat its dramatic Super Heavy "chopsticks" landing in which the rocket booster steers itself back into the arms of the tower from which it launched.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>SpaceX said it will instead put the booster through a series of tests designed to push the vehicle to its limits "to gather real-world performance data" that could mimic a future mission that does not go as planned.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Meanwhile, the upper Starship spacecraft, which is designed to one day carry cargo or convoys of astronauts but will haul only dummy satellites for this mission, will continue flying through space.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During the flight, Starship will attempt to deploy the eight satellite "simulators" as well as relight one of the spacecraft's rocket engines in space.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>SpaceX has failed to hit both of those milestones in its last three test missions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Even if this V2 Starship prototype meets a similarly ill fate, SpaceX is likely once again to frame the test flight as a success.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/cabarita-beach-shark-attack-surfer-shares-update/cfa78149-9ae9-4496-a25a-56bd845f5eb7" target="_blank" title="NSW surfer who narrowly missed shark bite shares update"><strong><span>NSW surfer who narrowly missed shark bite shares update</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The company employs an engineering philosophy called "rapid iterative development," which emphasises a pursuit of launching relatively cheap prototypes on frequent test missions over extensive ground testing or other less risky simulations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Because of its unique development approach, SpaceX has been known to embrace fiery mishaps. The company has said that even failed test flights help engineers improve Starship's design — quicker than if SpaceX employed alternative engineering approaches.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Every lesson learned, through both flight and ground testing, continues to feed directly into designs for the next generation of Starship and Super Heavy," SpaceX's August 15 statement reads.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Two flights remain with the current generation, each with test objectives designed to expand the envelope on vehicle capabilities as we iterate towards fully and rapidly reusable, reliable rockets."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>SpaceX's development approach, while often seen as risky and brazen, has served the company well in the past.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rarely has one of the company's rockets malfunctioned once it leaves the development stage and becomes operational. The company's human spaceflight track record, using Falcon 9 rockets, has been spotless.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And if Starship does eventually work, Reisman said, it won't only be SpaceX — or even NASA — that benefits.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The entire space industry is hoping and betting on Starship working, because if it achieves its promise, it'll also be a revolution in affordability," Reisman said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think there's causes for optimism and pessimism — and I think it's very, very difficult to predict how this is going to end up."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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