Overview

• The Starship rocket reached space on May 27 and marked the first reuse of a Super Heavy booster before its upper stage lost control.
• A sudden fuel leak caused the upper stage to tumble and disintegrate during its uncrewed re-entry over the Indian Ocean.
• Attempts to deploy eight Starlink-satellite simulators failed when the upper stage’s payload doors did not open.
• Elon Musk hailed the flight as a “great improvement” and said three more tests will follow at three- to four-week intervals.
• Starship remains central to SpaceX’s bid for NASA lunar missions and a proposed crewed Mars launch as soon as 2026.