Flight 8 — Booster Catch and Upper-Stage Loss
Flight 8 completed a third successful Super Heavy tower catch while the Starship upper stage lost multiple Raptor engines and vehicle control during ascent. SpaceX later identified a center Raptor hardware failure that led to inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition as the most probable root cause of the upper-stage loss.
Last verified by IGW
SpaceX’s May 22, 2025 Flight 8 report states that the March 6 flight lifted off from Starbase at 5:30 p.m. CT. Super Heavy completed the third successful tower catch. SpaceX reports that roughly five and a half minutes into Starship’s ascent burn an energetic event near a center sea-level Raptor was followed by multiple engine shutdowns and loss of vehicle control. Telemetry was lost roughly nine and a half minutes into flight, and the vehicle later broke apart. SpaceX identified a hardware failure in a center Raptor that caused inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition as the most probable root cause. This entry preserves the mixed booster/upper-stage outcome and does not generalize Flight 8 hardware to other flights.