Starship flight test 8

Starship flight test 8

Ship 34 after breaking up in the upper atmosphere as seen from the International Space Station
Mission type	Flight test
Operator	SpaceX
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Starship Ship 34
Spacecraft type	Starship (Block 2)
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Payload mass	~8,000 kg (18,000 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	March 6, 2025, 5:30:31 pm CST (23:30:31 UTC)[1]
Rocket	Super Heavy (Block 2, B15-1)
Launch site	Starbase, OLP-A
Deployed from	Boca Chica, Texas
End of mission
Disposal	Starship: Breakup after tumbling due to loss of engines
Destroyed	Starship: March 6, 2025, 5:39:00 pm CST (23:39:00 UTC)
Landing date	Super Heavy: March 6, 2025, 5:37:21 pm CST (23:37:21 UTC)
Landing site	Super Heavy: Starbase, OLP-A
Orbital parameters
Regime	Suborbital
Perigee altitude	−3,600 km (−2,200 mi)[1]
Apogee altitude	146 km (91 mi)[1]
Inclination	26.4°[1]
Payload
4 Starlink mass simulators
Mass	~8,000 kg (18,000 lb)
Mission patch SpaceX Starship flight tests ← Flight 7 Flight 9 →

Starship flight test 8 was the eighth flight test of a SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The launch tower successfully caught Booster 15; Ship 34 was destroyed before completing its planned flight, as during its initial burn four of the six engines experienced premature shutdowns that resulted in a loss of attitude control followed by a total loss of telemetry. The vehicle's breakup was observed from the Bahamas, Florida, Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands.^[2][3] It was the second flight and second failure of a Block 2 ship.

SpaceX had previously aborted a launch attempt late into the count on March 3, 2025,^[4][5] with a second attempt lifting off on March 6, 2025 at 5:30:31 pm CST (23:30:31 UTC).