SpaceX said it lost contact with its Starship rocket, which Elon Musk's company said "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly."
SpaceX's gargantuan Starship rocket is due to once again get off the ground from Texas more than two months since its last launch.
And for Elon Musk's commercial spaceflight company, the stakes are high.
Starship's first two flight tests of 2025 - on Jan. 16 and again on March 6 - ended in dramatic explosions that sent cascades of fiery debris streaking across the sky. In both mishaps, the upper stage, the vehicle where astronauts and cargo would ride, came apart mere minutes into its flight instead of landing as planned in the Indian Ocean.
The impending launch, which SpaceX officially announced on Friday, May 23 a day after getting key regulatory approval, could be visible halfway around the world as the 400-foot vehicle soars on a suborbital trajectory.
But you can also watch the launch from the comfort of your own home, courtesy of a livestream provided by SpaceX.
Here's everything to know about when and where to watch SpaceX conduct the ninth-ever Starship flight test from the company's Starbase.
SpaceX rocket launch: When is Starship flight 9?
SpaceX has announced that it is targeting Tuesday, May 27 for Starship's ninth flight test. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from SpaceX's Starbase, the company's headquarters in Boca Chica about 23 miles from Brownsville near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The news comes after the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, gave official approval Thursday, May 22 for SpaceX to launch Starship once again. The greenlight follows SpaceX completing an investigation into the most recent Starship launch on March 6, which ended with the vehicle's upper stage exploding for the second consecutive time.
"Several hardware changes have been made to increase reliability," SpaceX said on its website in its announcement.
How to watch SpaceX livestream
SpaceX will host a livestream of the flight test that will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff.
The webcast is available on its website and on social media platform X. Coverage will also be available on SpaceX's new X TV app.
"As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates," SpaceX said.
What is Starship?
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.
But Musk is more preoccupied with Starship reaching Mars - potentially, he has claimed, by the end of 2026. Under his vision, human expeditions aboard the Starship could then follow in the years after the first uncrewed spacecraft reaches the Red Planet.
How big is Starship?
Starship is regarded as the world's largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever developed.
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.
The launch vehicle is composed of both a 232-foot Super Heavy rocket and the 171-foot upper stage spacecraft, or capsule or crew and cargo would ride.
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.