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3d ago

FAA Clears SpaceX for Starship Flight 10 on Aug. 24 as Falcon 9 Hits 100th Launch of 2025

The FAA’s sign-off follows SpaceX’s probe that traced Flight 9 losses to a fuel pressurization component failure.

Image
image: ©dima_zel | iStock
SpaceX's Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster, seen here before the first test flight in 2023. The company is now targeting August 24, 2025 for its tenth flight, a crucial test for the rocket intended to return humans to the Moon. Credit: SpaceX, CC BY-NC 2.0
SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its Super Heavy booster is prepared for launch on its ninth test Tuesday, May 27 at the company's launch pad in Starbase, Texas.

Overview

  • SpaceX targets Aug. 24 from Starbase for Starship’s tenth test, with planned deployment of simulated Starlink satellites, an in‑space Raptor relight, and controlled splashdowns of the booster in the Gulf of Mexico and the upper stage downrange.
  • Post‑Flight 9 and Ship 36 fixes include a redesigned main‑tank pressurization diffuser, stricter COPV inspections and proof tests, lower COPV operating pressures, added protective covers, and new non‑destructive evaluation methods accepted by the FAA.
  • Flight 10 will test landing‑burn contingencies by disabling one of three center engines to assess two‑engine hover performance, while modified heat‑shield tiles and catch‑fitting hardware will be stressed during reentry to gather data for future return attempts.
  • Separately, a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg deployed 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites and the booster landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You, marking SpaceX’s 100th Falcon 9 mission of 2025 and the 489th booster landing overall.
  • The Starlink network now exceeds roughly 8,100 active satellites with service in about 130 countries and territories, as SpaceX also prepares a NASA cargo mission to the ISS targeted for Aug. 24.