The Starship Program rises from the ashes of Block 2 with Ship 37

Date:
Wed, 27 Aug 2025 19:13:16 +0000

Description:
Going into Flight 10, SpaceX was having a down year with the Starship
program. Following The post The Starship Program rises from the ashes of
Block 2 with Ship 37 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Going into Flight 10, SpaceX was having a down year with the Starship program. Following the successes of Block 1, the hope was to have immediate success with Block 2 and possibly catch a Starship in 2025. However, with
four straight ship failures, including one during ground testing, SpaceX needed a win.

Flight 10 gave SpaceX that win, lifting off from Starbase on Aug 26, 2025,
at 6:30:00 pm Central Daylight Time, and ending with both vehicles performing controlled splashdowns in the water.



A Pair of Scrubs to Start

Flight 10 didnt go on the first try; the first attempt was on Aug 24, and SpaceX started going through the count and even into propellant load.
However, before even loading Liquid Oxygen (LOX) in the booster, the supply line for LOX on the Ship Quick Disconnect (SQD) burst open and started leaking. This resulted in an automatic shutdown of the tank farm, and the propellant load stopped instantly, which led to a scrub of the launch for
that day.

Amazingly, this was only a 24-hour recycle, as crews used the motorized
winch at the top of the tower to help lift out and reinstall a new cryogenic supply hose. This winch was used to reeve the chopsticks when the tower was originally built. SpaceX completed the checkout of the newly installed hose
at approximately T-7 hours in the count and proceeded to attempt a launch
that day. SpaceX is getting ready to install a new LOX supply hose for the SQD. There was non nominal venting seen at T-40mins during yesterdays
attempt.

SpaceX has a 12 hr countdown for Starship, it is unclear if they can adjust
it to account for installing this hose and attempt today. pic.twitter.com/jm1wFmjWAz

Ryan Weber (@rweb11742) August 25, 2025



However, the weather would not cooperate as SpaceX fully fueled Starship and held at T-40 seconds, hoping for the weather to clear up. Unfortunately, it did not, and the Anvil cloud rule was the violation, which, if flown through, Starship could be struck by lightning and damage its systems. On the bright side, the pad and vehicles were healthy, meaning SpaceX just needed to refill the tank farm to try again the next day.

The SpaceX logistics team got to work and brought in around 38 Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) tankers, around 40 LOX tankers, and zero Liquid Methane (LCH4) Tankers between when the road opened and around T-4 hours before the third attempt. SpaceX apparently didnt need any LCH4 takers, as the tank farm has become very proficient at recovering methane still in the tanks.

With enough propellant again for another try, SpaceX proceeded with the countdown, and with no issues or holds at T-40 seconds, Flight 10 lifted off from Pad 1 (A) at 6:30:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Starship Flight 10!
What a success!!! And with it, I've captured what has to be my favorite ever slow-mo liftoff footage! @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/tuF5nH4Gm3

D Wise (@dwisecinema) August 27, 2025



Booster 16

Booster 16 lifted off with all 33 engines running until an engine in the inner ring of 10 went out midway through the ascent burn. Booster 16 then completed a perfect hotstaging maneuver with Ship 37 and restarted nine engines for its boost back burn. The engine that failed on ascent would
remain off for the rest of the flight.

The booster then performed a perfect glide back and reignited 12 of 13 engines for the landing burn. Booster 16 then performed its landing burn experiments, where it shut off eight of the inner ring of 10 and a single center engine. The engine that was kept on was to demonstrate the boosters ability to have center engines out and have a backup in case.

With the experiment complete, Booster 16 shut all engines off and dropped at least 150 meters into the water, then blew up. SpaceX was likely doing this
to make sure there werent any large pieces intact that teams would have to grab from the Gulf. This was the second-to-last flight of a Block 2 booster with Booster 15-2 slated to be the last one to fly. Throughout their life, Block 1 and 2 boosters have had a fantastic track record. Here comes Booster 16 for an experimental water landing!

And here comes the boom! https://t.co/PQwH2QTEHY pic.twitter.com/XsWpswYQh9

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) August 26, 2025



Ship 37

Ship 37 was the star of this flight and completed a redemption arc for all Block 2 Starships. Following stage separation, the ship completed its ascent burn and got into coast phase entirely stable. This marks the first time a Block 2 ship has been stable and under control during the coast phase, and only the second to reach the coast phase.

Next were objectives that have haunted Block 2 ships for three straight flights: payload deploy demo, Raptor engine relight, a stable and controlled reentry, and hopefully ending in a flip and burn into the Indian Ocean. Ship 37 would not disappoint. First was payload deployment, where the door opened as intended, and all eight Starlink simulators were deployed one at a time. A few would end up hitting the door on the way out, but SpaceX is still
refining these systems. Open the pod bay door, HAL

Starship deploying @Starlink simulator sats pic.twitter.com/3CSOyulzcJ

SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2025



With payload deployment completed and some fantastic views of the PEZ dispenser in work, the payload bay door closed and sealed just fine. With
this demo complete, SpaceX can refine any issues and hopefully launch Version 3 Starlink flights sometime in mid-to-late next year.

After completing the payload deployment demo, SpaceX successfully completed the in-space Raptor relight using a sea-level Raptor engine. This test is essential because teams need to ensure Starship can perform a deorbit burn to return from space. Hopefully, a complete deorbit burn will be conducted next year with Block 3 Starship Flight 10. Something went RUD inside Ship 37. pic.twitter.com/w0firMpaKo

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) August 27, 2025



With the coast phase objectives completed, Ship 37 then oriented itself for reentry. Shortly after reentry, it appears that the aft flaps had partially come apart, possibly due to hot-staging damage, and then early reentry tore them both open. But, a far more concerning event occurred when the port or left side engine chill lines ruptured under the aft flap fairing and punched
a hole into the ships drive section skirt.

It can also be seen that the starboard or right-side chill line had an
issue, as evidenced by a bulge appearing on the engine bay internal camera. Despite these issues and holes in the aft flaps, Ship 37 would make it
through reentry and perform its aft flap stress testing even with holes through the bottom of the flaps. Live views brought to you by @Starlink pic.twitter.com/3yVzQrMZBz

SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2025



Finally, after a nine-month wait since Ship 31, SpaceX provided everyone
with new views of Starship reentry powered by Starlink. These views are with the new cameras that have been installed on the ship since Ship 33. Many of the changes that SpaceX made to the shield since Block 1 of Starship worked
as intended, such as the newly designed forward flaps.

The catch pins worked amazingly and didnt melt off the side of the Ship, showing that SpaceX should be able to use them to catch a ship in the future. This entire flight had eerie similarities to Flight 4, with the ship having holes but making it through reentry.



With reentry completed, Ship 37 would then bellyflop and complete its flip and burn maneuver to a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX provided everyone with a fantastic view, as buoys out in the ocean confirmed that the ship landed on target.

However, there seemed to be a bit of rust on the heat shield, possibly due to the metallic tiles or the steel being melted and oxidized on reentry. After landing, Ship 37 tipped over and exploded, bringing an end to a very successful mission. Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire
SpaceX team on an exciting tenth flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com/5sbSPBRJBP

SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2025



With Flight 10 being the success that it was, and all the new data that engineers for the ship and heat shield teams can review, all eyes are now on Ship 38, the final Block 2 ship. SpaceX will likely solve the aft flap and engine chill line issues and possibly refine the Starlink deploy system as well.

Overall, SpaceX now has a win in their column for the ship part of the Starship program in 2025. And the hope is that Ship 38 can lead to success with Block 3 right away, unlike the transition from Block 1 to Block 2 of Starship.

Featured Image: Jack Beyer for NSF.



The post The Starship Program rises from the ashes of Block 2 with Ship 37 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/08/starship-rises-ashes-block-2-ship-37/


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