Watch: Musk Talks “Making Life Multiplanetary” Ahead Of Starship Launch

Elon Musk will host a livestream on X about “Making Life Multiplanetary” at 1:00 p.m. ET, just hours ahead of Starship’s highly anticipated ninth test flight. The test flight will focus on efforts to advance the rocket’s reusability and reliability, key milestones as Musk’s rocket company pushes toward future missions to Mars and the Moon.

Presenting “Making Life Multiplanetary”.

Live on ð• on Tuesday at 1pm ET.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 25, 2025

Watch an update from @elonmusk on SpaceX’s plan to make life multiplanetary https://t.co/E68TunhFYb

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 26, 2025

The stakes are high for SpaceX, as the last two test flights ended in midair explosions. But that’s the nature of experimental flight testing—each failure provides critical data, allowing engineers to identify design flaws, refine systems, and improve performance ahead of future launches. 

The launch window at Starbase, Texas, for Starship’s 9th Test Flight, is expected to open up around 7:00 p.m. ET. A live webcast will begin 30 minutes prior on X and the X TV app. 

Here’s a summary of the test fight:

Purpose: This test follows updates made after the 8th flight mishap. It’s focused on advancing Starship’s reusability and reliability.

Milestone: First reflight of a flight-proven Super Heavy booster, reused from the 7th flight.

Key Booster Tests:

• Experiments for flight profile data and off-nominal scenarios.

• Controlled “booster flip” using thrust vectoring instead of random direction.

• High-angle reentry to test drag control and reduce landing propellant needs.

• Engine redundancy test: Only two engines will complete final landing, expecting a hard splashdown in the Gulf

Starship Upper Stage Goals:

• Deploy eight next-gen-sized Starlink simulators (expected to burn up).

• Relight a Raptor engine in space.

• Reentry tests with new heat shield materials (some with active cooling). Stress-test upper-stage flap structures and thermal protection at max reentry pressure.

Watch Launch: 

SpaceX’s big day comes as Musk steps back from his hands-on role with DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. He’s now refocusing on advancing SpaceX’s Mars and Moon ambitions while repairing Tesla’s brand, which has taken hits from left-leaning media outlets and far-left NGOs critical of Musk’s DOGE involvement.