How many SpaceX Starship rocket tests have failed?
Thanks to SpaceX's unique approach to testing, the answer isn't so clear-cut.
According to BryceTech analytics, SpaceX launched 85 percent of all spacecraft in 2025, with over half of the world's orbital launches. Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever assembled, has a cargo capacity five times greater than SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, making it crucial for SpaceX's grand ambitions, including its million-satellite constellation, NASA's lunar missions, and Elon Musk's Mars colony dream.
Starship's history has been turbulent, with between four and 11 of its 14 total launches failing, depending on how generously one counts. Despite this, Starship's success rate is still considered incremental, as it has yet to deliver a fully-reusable rocket capable of missions to Mars and beyond. The program's success depends on each mission's ability to meet its stated objectives, and SpaceX's willingness to learn from mistakes may reduce its true failure rate closer to zero.
However, considering Musk's track record of overpromising, the November 13 Starship launch test will provide another data point to assess SpaceX's progress and its ability to keep pace with its meteoric ambitions.
Written by urgent.news from Engadget's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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