USA TODAY NETWORK Musk hinted on Tuesday, May 13 that SpaceX could launch its Starship "next week" on its ninth flight test from the company's Starbase in South Texas. The test would come after SpaceX just received key federal approval to ramp up testing of a vehicle due to play a massive part in future crewed missions to both the moon and Mars. The vehicle has not exploded on every iteration. In three tests between June and November 2024, Starship flew halfway around the world before landing in the Indian Ocean. More than two months have gone by since SpaceX last launched its massive Starship rocket on an ill-fated flight test that ended in the vehicle's second consecutive explosion. For viewers watching a livestream of the March 6 launch from home, they may have felt a sense of Déjà vu as the vehicle came apart in the sky and a cascade of fiery debris rained down below. But for SpaceX, the mishap likely represented a significant setback as billionaire founder Elon Musk has sought to accelerate the Starship's development. Following the botched demonstration, both of Starship's test flights in 2025 have ended prematurely after the rocket's upper stage, where crew and cargo would be transported, lost power and broke apart midair. That means as Musk and SpaceX now prepare for the Starship's ninth-ever flight test from South Texas, the stakes could not be higher. The tech mogul no doubt hopes his commercial spaceflight company can get the Starship program back on track – especially after SpaceX just received key federal approval to ramp up testing of a vehicle due to play a massive part in future crewed missions to both the moon and Mars. Here's a look back at the first two Starship launches of 2025, as well as a brief look at how the vehicle has fared since its debut flight two years ago. SpaceX rocket launch: When is Starship flight 9? Musk hinted on Tuesday, May 13, that SpaceX could launch its Starship "next week" on its ninth flight test from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica near Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX hasn't officially announced a target launch date, and the Federal Aviation Administration hasn't yet issued a launch license. But maritime warnings over the Gulf of Mexico, renamed by the U.S. government as the Gulf of America, suggest the launch is being targeted for Wednesday, May 21. What is the Starship? Starship, the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, is SpaceX's massive spacecraft composed of both a 232-foot Super Heavy rocket and the 171-foot upper stage vehicle. At more than 400 total feet in height, Starship towers over SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket – one of the world's most active – which stands at nearly 230 feet. Super Heavy alone is powered by 33 of SpaceX’s Raptor engines. The upper section, also called Starship or Ship for short, is the upper stage powered by six Raptor engines that will ultimately travel in orbit. SpaceX is developing Starship to be a fully reusable transportation system, meaning both the rocket and vehicle can return to the ground for additional missions. In the years ahead, Starship is intended to carry both cargo and humans to Earth's orbit and deeper into the cosmos. NASA's lunar exploration plans, which appear to be in jeopardy under President Donald Trump's proposed budget, call for Artemis III astronauts aboard the Orion capsule to board the Starship while in orbit for a ride to the moon's surface.