New Splashdown notification pushes Starship Flight 9 launch date to late May

The Starship Flight 9 saga continues to see new turns, as SpaceX is reevaluating its launch opportunity based on different factors, and a recent notification published for Gulf of America has confirmed that the liftoff date is pushed for late May.

On May 19, a new maritime safety warning was issued in Boca Chica/Brownsville, Texas, and extending across the Gulf of America. According to the information, a rocket launch is scheduled to take place near Boca Chica, Texas. The notice didn’t mention any name, but SpaceX is the only company to operate in the area via the Starbase facility.

Unlike the launch notice, this warning is related to hazardous space operations. This means that the company will not be attempting a Super Heavy booster catch this time, and it will splash it down in the Gulf of America.

A previous report suggests that SpaceX is reusing a booster from Flight 7, consisting of 29 out of 33 flight-proven Raptor engines. This will be the first time SpaceX will attempt to reuse the Super Heavy for a test mission. In that case, it wants to ensure the public and the launch site’s safety.

Prior to this flight, SpaceX had caught the booster three times during the fifth, seventh, and eighth flights. Due to hardware failure, the company called off the catch and splash of the booster in the Gulf of America during Flight 6.

The hazardous space operation warning was notified for May 27 and May 28, 2025, while backup opportunities expand through June 3rd. That means the Starship Flight 9 launch date could be as soon as May 27, but we have to wait for an official announcement.

Source – Starship Gazer