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Starship Development Thread September 2025 (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) by threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works to c/spacex@sh.itjust.works
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SpaceX Starship page

FAQ

  1. When next launch? (Flight 11) NET October.
  2. When previous launch? (Flight 10) Starship flight 10 launched on 2025-08-26 at 23:30 UTC.
  3. What was the result? All mission objectives fulfilled! First version 2 ship to make it through reentry to landing burn and splashdown. First successful deployment of Starlink simulators. Booster successfully tested landing without one centre engine, using an engine on the middle ring to compensate.

Previous Flights

Click to expand

  • Flight 1: S24 and B7. First full stack launch, RUD before stage separation.
  • Flight 2: S25 and B9. Successful stage separation, booster RUD during boostback burn, ship RUD shortly prior to scheduled SECO.
  • Flight 3: S28 and B10. Booster performs a successful boostback burn, but experiences RUD during landing burn. Ship makes it past SECO, but loses attitude control and is destroyed on reentry.
  • Flight 4: S29 and B11. First successful booster water landing. Ship survives reentry despite burn-through on forward flap, and performs a successful water landing.
  • Flight 5: S30 and B12. First booster catch with chopsticks. Ship performs successful water landing.
  • Flight 6: S31 and B13. Booster offshore divert due to damage to catch tower during launch. Ship performs successful water landing.
  • Flight 7: S33 and B14-1. First V2 Ship launch. Harmonic oscillation on ship causes RUD before SECO. Booster is caught by chopsticks.
  • Flight 8: S34 and B15-1. Engine failure on ship causes RUD before SECO. Booster is caught by chopsticks.
  • Flight 9: S35 and B14-2. First booster reflight. Ship makes it past SECO, but loses attitude control and is destroyed on reentry. Booster RUD upon landing burn startup prior to planned splashdown.
  • Flight 10: S37 and B16. All mission objectives fulfilled. First V2 ship to make it through reentry to landing burn and splashdown. First successful deployment of Starlink simulators. Booster successfully tested landing without one centre engine, using an engine on the middle ring to compensate.

Quick Links

Nerdle Cam | Lab Cam | Sapphire Cam | Sentinel Cam | Rover Cam | Rover 2.0 Cam | Rocket Ranch Cam | Plex Cam | NSF Starbase Live

Starship Dev August | Flight 10 launch thread | Starship Dev July | Starship Dev June | Starship Dev May | Flight 9 launch thread | Starship Dev April | Flight 8 launch thread | Starship Dev March

Official SpaceX Starship Update Video (2024-04-06)

Road closures, road delays, and beach closures

Vehicle Status

*As of 2025-09-01

Ship Location Status Comment
SN2 Rocket Garden Scrapped Aug 19th.
S20 Rocket Garden Pending scrapping?
Test Tank 16 Sanchez Resting Cryo tested four times between July and September. Sliding plates added to the catch points on Jan 27th. Moved to Sanchez Mar 15th.
S37 Indian Ocean Destroyed Parts spotted in December. Forward dome section moves to Megabay 2 Mar 24th. Cryo tested May 30th. Forward flaps installed Jul 20th. (ViX 1, ViX 2) Aft flaps installed Jul 23rd and Jul 24th. Single-engine static fire Jul 31st, six-engine static fire Aug 1st. R-vac swap on Aug 5th. Six-engine spin prime Aug 13th. Launched on 2025-08-26, destroyed upon tipping over following a successful reentry and landing burn.
S38 Pad 1 Pending rollback Parts spotted in December. Nosecone stacked on payload bay as of Mar 28th. Rolls to Massey's Jul 28th. Cryo tested Jul 30th. Rolls back to Megabay 2 Aug 1st. Aft flap installed Aug 25th. Static fired Sep 22nd.
S39.1 Megabay 2 Assembly Parts spotted (Aug 25th)
S39 Starfactory Assembly Parts spotted (Apr 9th). Forward flaps installed July 29th and 31st.
S40 Starfactory Assembly Parts spotted (Apr 10th).
S41 Starfactory Assembly Parts spotted (May 10th).
S42 Starfactory Assembly Parts spotted (Jul 4th).
S43 Starfactory Assembly Parts spotted (Jul 4th).
S44 Starfactory Assembly Parts spotted (Jul 4th).
S45 Starfactory Assembly
Booster Location Status Comment
B12 Megabay 1 Pending scrapping? Cryo x2, Static fire Jul 15th. Full stack cryo tests Sep 23rd and Oct 7th. FTS installed Oct 9th. Launched as IFT-5 on Oct 13, returned to launch site for successful chopstick catch. Moved to Megabay 1 Oct 15th.
B15-2 Megabay 1 Pending FTS install Stacked from July to September. Methane tank cryo test Dec 27th, full cryo test Dec 28th. Static fired Feb 9th. Launched and landed Mar 6th. Static fired Sep 7th.
B16 Gulf of Mexico Destroyed Stacking completed by Dec 26th. Cryo tested Feb 28th. Static fired Jun 6th. FTS potentially installed Jun 18th. Hot staging adapter removed Jun 19th. FTS installed Aug 17th. Rolled out to launch site Aug 21st. Launched on 2025-08-26, destroyed on impact following a successful landing burn.
B17 Rocket Garden Pending engine install Parts spotted. First two sections moved to Megabay 1 Jan 4th. Fully stacked by Apr 7th. Cryo tested Apr 9th.
B18.1 / Test Tank 17 Massey's Cryo testing Test article for Booster v3. Parts spotted Feb 24th, Apr 21. Cryo tests start Jun 2nd and 3rd, continue until tank bursts Sep 18th.
B18.3 Massey's Testing Parts spotted Aug 27th. Moved to Massey's Sep 20th.
B18 Megabay 1 Stacking Parts spotted May 19th.
B19 Starfactory Stacking Parts spotted Aug 11th.

Resources

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[โ€“] ptfrd@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Flight 11 speculation ...

Any chance they put some real Starlink satellites on board (and go all the way to orbit in order to deploy them)?

Any chance they try to land Stage 2 on land, on its skirt? So that they can properly inspect the heat shield (etc.)

  • Perhaps the Aussie outback, if a suborbital flight? If so, they'd presumably need to target a bare patch with no foliage that might catch fire. (The first thought that crossed my mind was, "what about that massive rock?", but I think that might be a little disrespectful ...)
  • Perhaps US territory (desert / salt flats / military range / LZ-4), if an orbital flight?

Any chance they go orbital regardless? I can't think of much reason why they would. I'm assuming they're already very confident that Starship is capable of getting to orbit, but perhaps actually doing it would let them test a full deorbit burn?

[โ€“] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

I suppose going orbital is a possibility for Flight 11, but I'm not sure that operational Starlink deployments or longer in-space raptor burns are a priority right now.

I highly doubt they attempt a land landing on the skirt. As the goal is ultimately to catch the ship with the chopsticks, I'm not sure if they would learn enough from it to make it worth the hassle. The heatshield in its current form is probably "good enough" to attempt a chopsticks catch in a few more flights, at which point they can inspect the ship at their leisure back at Starbase.

Landing on Uluru would be pretty funny, and reminiscent of the ship from Close Encounters, which landed on that other rock. Not sure if the top of Uluru is flat enough though.