Space obsession, queen confessions.
On April 20, 2023, the biggest rocket ever built left the ground for the first time, dug a crater under its own launch mount, lost engines on the way up, and was destroyed four minutes in. Here is what Starship Flight 1 actually attempted, what failed, what the FAA made SpaceX fix (63 items!), and why SpaceX still called it a win.
Starship Flight 2 (November 18, 2023) fixed the pad, debuted “hot staging,” lit all six ship engines and became the first Starship to reach space. Then the booster broke up on its flip-back burn and the ship was terminated after a fire during a propellant vent. Here is what happened, why, and what the FAA made SpaceX change.
Starship Flight 3 (March 14, 2024) was the first to complete its full ascent burn and the first to reenter from space. It opened and closed its payload door and completed a propellant-transfer demo, but the booster was lost just before splashdown and the ship went silent at about 65 km on the way back down. Here is what happened and why.
On June 6, 2024, Starship Flight 4 finally ended the way SpaceX wanted: the booster hovered down to a “virtual tower” splashdown in the Gulf and the ship survived a blazing reentry, flipped, and landed in the Indian Ocean, even with a chewed-up flap. Here is the play-by-play, the damage, and why the FAA didn’t need an investigation.
On May 28, 2026, a New Glenn exploded during a static fire and damaged Blue Origin’s only orbital launch pad. Here’s what’s known about the cause, the rebuild at Launch Complex 36, and why the return-to-flight date is still disputed.