"'TANK LEAK!'' Elon Musk Revealed WHY Starship Flight 9 Exploded...

Excitement mixed with a hint of regret. That's the lingering emotion after yesterday's Starship flight. There's no question SpaceX made real progress. Key systems performed better than in previous missions, and the overall execution showed major improvements. But despite those gains, the mission ended with a sense of incompleteness. as both the Super Heavy booster and the upper stage failed to finish their journeys. Now all eyes are on what caused those unexpected failures. What went wrong? Why did it happen? And how can SpaceX use this experience to improve? In this episode, we'll walk through every major moment of the flight, break down the technical challenges, and analyze what these setbacks mean for Starship's future. Stick with us here at Great SpaceX as we dive into the mission's critical lessons and what's next for the path to space. The afternoon at Starbase was as breathtaking as ever. About half an hour before the launch, the live stream kicked off, capturing the mesmerizing scenes of venting and fuel loading as anticipation built across the world. The countdown faced two brief holds, but those delays only heightened the suspense and made the moment even more thrilling. Then it happened. The moment we had all been waiting nearly 3 months for. Starship lifted off. All 33 Raptor engines ignited as expected, pushing the massive rocket off the pad with thunderous force. After successfully passing Max Q, the vehicle moved into the separation phase using the hot staging technique. Main engine cutoff went exactly as planned with all 30 outer and center ring engines on the Super Heavy booster shutting down precisely for stage separation. Simultaneously, six engines on the upper stage ignited flawlessly, sending both stages on their separate paths. For booster 14, this was the most critical test yet. The boost back burn, which had caused issues in flights seven and eight, went incredibly well. All 10 center engines ignited perfectly with no failures. A major step forward and a clear demonstration of SpaceX's continuous improvements. The booster then moved into the landing phase, shutting down its engines as the hot stitching ring was successfully jettisoned. Unfortunately, despite the promising performance up to that point, B14's journey ended in disappointment. As it approached splashdown, the engines were supposed to reignite to decelerate and control the descent. But something went wrong. One of the center engines appeared to fail at a critical moment. Before there was time to analyze what had gone wrong, B14 exploded midair just before reaching the ocean, and its signal was lost. While the Gulf waters weren't far away, B14 never made it. Shortly after the flight, SpaceX released a statement. First reflight of a Super Heavy booster. Today's test objectives were designed to intentionally push Super Heavy to the limits, giving us real world data about its performance that will directly feed into making the next generation booster even more capable. Regarding safety, they reassured the public. As is standard for each test, the area in the Gulf containing the booster's flight path was cleared prior to launch. As for the cause of the explosion, no official details have been shared yet. However, it's possible that the ambitious objectives SpaceX set for this flight played a role. Specifically, B14 was tasked with testing a high angle of attack landing profile, which aims to conserve fuel by descending more steeply and resisting drag headon. While this could optimize future landings, it also introduces greater aerodynamic pressure, and B14 may have exceeded its tolerances during that demanding maneuver. The engine failure could also be related to ongoing issues with the igniter system, a known concern that SpaceX has been actively working to improve. In any case, while the loss of B14 is disappointing, it's important to recognize that the booster was never intended to return to the launch site. The C landing was always meant as a testing opportunity, and in that sense, the test was successful in gathering vital data. Most importantly, this flight marked a major milestone, the first ever re-flight of a super heavy booster. And despite its fiery end, B14 managed to demonstrate real progress in key areas, especially overcoming the persistent boostback burn challenge. Its contribution to the program, both past and present, cannot be understated. Still, it's hard not to feel a bit of regret. B14 had already proven itself in previous missions, and there was a collective hope that this reused booster would complete its journey with a more fitting finale. But in the grand scheme of pushing the boundaries of reusability and rapid development, B14 served its purpose with honor. So, here's to B14, a booster that may not have had a perfect ending, but one that helped pave the way for a more capable and resilient Starship system. Thank you, B14. Now, let's shift our focus to space. Flight 9 brought major improvements, especially from ship 35's ascent phase. All six Raptor engines performed well, clearing a key hurdle that tripped up previous flights, notably flights seven and eight. This smoother ascent marked a promising sign for the program's technical progress. However, not everything went according to plan. During ascent, a brief fire appeared near one of the vacuum engines and its skirt. Though it didn't immediately affect the mission, it raised concerns. Around 8 minutes in, both vacuum and sea level engines shut down cleanly, marking the second engine cutoff, or SECO. Ship 35 then entered orbital coast at over 26,000 kmh. Next came a critical milestone, payload deployment, expected around T + 17 to T + 18 minutes. Unfortunately, this did not occur. The issue seemed to involve the payload door, which may have failed to open. This mirrors flight 3 when the payload bay door only partially opened, likely due to mechanical or structural concerns. Once again, SpaceX will have to wait for a future test to validate inspace deployment. Things quickly escalated from there. Around t plus 40 minutes, ship 35 began to lose control during re-entry. Onboard footage and simulations showed the vehicle spinning violently. Re-entry conditions were more extreme than ever with ship 35 enduring tremendous aerodynamic and thermal stress. Despite the loss of control, SpaceX appeared to continue monitoring descent actively, possibly to keep the ship in a designated corridor or collect valuable re-entry data. This effort may have also served to evaluate the performance of the new V2 Starship upgrades, including improved engines and revised flaps. Then, at t plus 46 minutes after a brief blackout, the onboard camera came back to show severe damage to one of the aft flaps. Roughly 25% had been burned through. The flight ended shortly after. Musk later confirmed the primary cause of failure, a leak in the main propellant tank. This caused a loss of pressure, preventing fuel from reaching the engines and leading to loss of control. He stated leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase. While the exact source of the leak remains unknown, it likely resulted from either harsh flight conditions or pre-launch system vulnerabilities. Despite the turbulent ending, SpaceX collected critical data. One of the most encouraging outcomes was confirmation that the heat shield tiles remained intact during ascent, signaling progress on the thermal protection system. Overall, this test flight was a mix of breakthroughs and missed targets. SpaceX achieved a clean ascent, stable orbital insertion, successful engine shutdowns, and validated upgrades to its heat shield. However, several mission goals remain unmet. successful payload deployment, reigniting engines in space, controlled splashdown of Super Heavy, stable re-entry, and a soft ocean landing of the upper stage. Still, each mission success or failure brings SpaceX closer to full orbital reusability. The insights from ship 35's flight will directly inform refinements for future tests. And though this journey ended short of its goals, it marks another important step toward the broader vision of reliable, reusable space flight. With flight 9 now complete, attention shifts toward the future of the Starship program. Although both stages fell short of their final goals, the mission yielded valuable data and marked clear progress in SpaceX's push for a fully reusable launch system. SpaceX emphasized this in their post-flight statement. The teams will continue to review data and work toward the next flight test. With a test like this, success comes from what we learn. Musk echoed the sentiment, stating, "Lot of good data to review." Notably, Flight 9 appears to have aligned well with SpaceX's internal objectives. This could allow the company to bypass a formal FAA investigation, something that delayed earlier flights and accelerate the pace of future launches. Musk confirmed plans for a faster cadence, saying on X that SpaceX is targeting one every 3 to four weeks for the next three Starship flights. If this timeline holds, flight 10 could launch by mid June, with flights 11 and 12 following before the summer's end. Flight 10 will carry heightened expectation is expected to attempt objectives Flight 9 nearly accomplished such as payload deployments, reigniting engines in orbit, surviving re-entry, and executing soft ocean landings. For now, SpaceX plans to stick with splashdowns rather than attempting to catch the stages with the tower's mechanical arms, a goal reserved for later tests. The next flights will build on Flight 9's key successes, including the booster's flawless boost back burn and the ship's stable performance during ascent and coast. These achievements serve as foundational steps toward achieving full reusability and interplanetary mission capability. With test cadence increasing, Starship development is gaining serious momentum. By the time flights 11 or 12 roll around, likely in July or August, we may see more complete mission profiles, including controlled landings and extended orbital operations. In the meantime, Starship supporters are encouraged to stay engaged. Leave a comment saying, "Let's try again." and keep the conversation going. Every test brings us closer to the reality of multilanetary life. Last, but definitely not least, shifting our attention from Starbase to the moon, there's another exciting development worth watching. Japan's lunar lander Resilience, operated by Space, has provided a stunning new view of the moon's south pole. While waiting for its upcoming landing attempt, Resilience sent back a striking photo taken on the 22nd of May. The image captured from lunar orbit offers a close-up view of the rugged terrain surrounding the moon's southern region. In the photo, the lunar surface is shown in vivid contrast against the pitch black void of space. Countless craters dot the view, giving a sense of the immense geological complexity of the area. According to iSpace, Resilience snapped this photo of the moon's south pole from lunar orbit, capturing the rough terrain of the many geological features of the lunar surface, which some say look like cheese from afar. The company also noted that the image creates an interesting optical illusion. While the terrain consists of concave craters, some viewers may perceive them as convex bumps depending on their visual orientation. What do you see, craters or bumps? They asked. Resilience launched on January 15th aboard a Falcon 9 rocket alongside the American Firefly Blue Ghost lander. However, the two landers took very different routes. While Blue Ghost made a more direct trip and landed on March 2nd, Resilience chose a longer, more energyefficient path to the moon, arriving in lunar orbit on May 6th. The Japanese lander is currently preparing for a landing attempt in the Mar Frigorus region, a broad volcanic plane located in the moon's northern hemisphere. The mission includes five science and technology payloads, one of which is a compact lunar rover named Tenacious, built by Ispace's European division. Tenacious is designed to collect lunar regalith as part of a contract signed with NASA back in 2020. This mission is a significant step for Japan's commercial space ambitions and could mark another milestone in the international push toward lunar exploration. If successful, it would build on the global momentum of lunar return missions and demonstrate ISPAC's growing capabilities in deep space operations. As we wait to see whether resilience completes its journey with a soft landing, one thing is clear. The race to the moon and to Mars is heating up. Whether it's SpaceX testing Starship or Japan delivering rovers to the lunar surface, each mission brings us closer to a new era of space exploration. This has been Kevin with Great SpaceX. Don't forget to like the video and subscribe if you haven't already to stay up to date with yours truly on the latest milestones in SpaceX's journey. Thank you so much for watching and always remember, curiosity, imagination, and inspiration will follow you so long as you keep looking up.