SpaceX’s ninth test flight of its Starship spacecraft, launched on May 27 from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas, ended in failure shortly after liftoff. The mission aimed to deploy eight Starlink simulator satellites and test the vehicle’s reentry system with 100 removed heat-shield tiles. Despite a successful launch and initial ascent, the spacecraft began spinning uncontrollably due to a fuel system leak, rendering the heat-shield test unfeasible. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on X following the flight test, writing,