Minutes after the SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy roared to life, the stage was set for a pre-planned splashdown of the booster.

SpaceX’s ambitious Starship Super Heavy launched on its ninth integrated test flight from Starbase in South Texas in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The mission featured the first-ever reflight of a Super Heavy booster, which concluded with a dramatic, pre-planned crash in the Gulf of Mexico — a crucial test of the rocket’s resilience and SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to perfect reusability.

The Super Heavy booster, previously flown during the seventh test flight, was equipped with upgraded hardware and new engine configurations following lessons learned from earlier missions.

WATCH SUPER HEAVY ROCKET CRASH

After lift-off, the booster executed a series of complex manoeuvres, including a controlled flip, boostback burn, and a high-angle descent.

Instead of attempting a precision landing or a catch by the “Mechazilla” tower, SpaceX engineers opted for a hard splashdown to gather vital data on how the booster withstands extreme conditions during ocean impact.

This deliberate crash was not an accident but a planned experiment to test the limits of the booster’s structure and landing systems. The final landing burn used backup engines in a new configuration, simulating potential scenarios for future missions and enhancing the rocket’s resilience.

SpaceX had said that the real-time data from the crash will inform future designs and operational procedures, bringing SpaceX closer to its goal of rapid, full reusability—a key requirement for routine missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Meanwhile, Starship’s upper stage lost control nearly 30 minutes after launch and began spinning. It crashed minutes later over the Indian Ocean.

The Starship was carrying eight Starlink simulator payloads, however it failed to deploy them as well.

The ninth test flight comes after two consecutive failures earlier in 2025, making this mission a pivotal step for SpaceX. Each flight, including this hard splashdown, provides invaluable insights, moving the company closer to operational launches and cementing Starship’s role as the backbone of future space exploration.